Life of an Agent
by White-Jet
Summary: Elite Beat Agent Chapter Series Episode 35: While recovering from hypothermia, Ryuta witnesses the amount of devistation surrounding the Stevens household; while Spin struggles to get control of Techno while waiting for the rest of the Ouendan to show up.
1. Episode 1: Uncomfortable Reunion

Author Notes: First off, this chapter series isn't a direct prequal to "National Disasters", an attempt at a crossover between EBA and Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan; "direct" meaning that there will be moments in "National Disaster" where the Agents will reflect on certain plots, but with different results than what'll be shown later in this series. And though there will be some obvious clues that the Ouendan have encountered EBA (and may run into them again), please note that this will not be a full-on crossover.

Episode 1: Uncomfortable Reunion

_Why... Why haven't they come...?_

The currents of the Pacific Ocean thrash wildly as a rainstorm bullies the once tame water. The remains of a cruise boat are caught in the scuffle, getting tossed around like volleyballs. Among them is a slightly tubby man with slick, shoulder long hair, tied back in a ponytail, wearing a black, government-like suit. He clutches onto a piece of a dance floor shattered by the impacts of the savage waves.

For hours, the man drifted along with the currents, struggling to stay conscious and above water while waiting for help to arrive. So far, he sees nothing but raging waters for miles.

_Is this how they really work...? Dancin' and singin' without the least bit of carin' as to who gets in their way or who gets left in the dust? _

The more he thought about it, the angrier he becomes. Gripping the corners of the dance floor, he used what little strength he had left in his freezing body to swim through the untamed environment; retracing every direction the cruise had made before it was utterly destroyed.

_To think I was fooled into believin' they would look out for me an' my family. If they think I ain't worth the effort in rescuin', then go ahead and ditch me. I'll make sure no one else in my family gets involved in your biased beliefs._

As he swims away, two wallets left on the edge of the dance floor slowly began to slide off into the water. Like hungry beasts, the waves swallow them up; their flaps opening to reveal a license with pictures, one of a man with shades and a fedora, the other of a woman with shades stylized to look like dove wings and dreadlocks tied in a high ponytail, as well as a police-like badge with leaves covering either side of the shield-like design and "E.B.A. CENTRAL" etched below the star symbol.

* * *

The neighborhood of Manhattan glows an array of red, orange and yellow as a fire of catastrophic proportions eats away at a tall house in the middle of the area. The man, having survived the swim back to the mainland, watches with bitter remorse.

_I'll destroy everythin' that connects to their ruthless agency. This family will no longer become mindless wildebeest waitin' to be fed to the lions._

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a wallet matching the ones that vanished into the depths of the ocean. He stares at it with even bitter remorse as he grips it to the point of crumbling it up.

_I'll make sure you never lay a hand on them again. This family is done bein' fooled._

Arching his arm back, he hurls the wallet into the burning monstrosity, watching as it slowly began to melt, badge and all. Satisfied, he turns and walks away, never looking back at what he had caused.

Six months had passed since then...

* * *

Spin is roused out of bed by the loud beeping of his digital alarm clock. Groaning with fatigue, he slams his hand on the snooze button before using it as support to pull his head up and check the time; 10:00am.

Today was not a good day for him to be his usual, party-hardy self. It was his father's birthday and, despite wanting to sleep the whole day off, knew he couldn't leave his uncle unattended for fear that he may have started drinking again. Sighing in frustration, he rolled out of bed, revealing his faded, loose jeans and white, sleeveless shirt; threw on his black, leather jacket, brown hiking boots and dark green lens wayfarers; wrapped a large pair of headphones around his neck before heading out of his one space, CD littered apartment.

Once outside, Spin heads to the garage where his rusted, color fading, front hood dented convertible sits. He didn't like the car because of its habit of breaking down at the most inadequate time, but he knew it's the only way of get to and from his uncle's crib without having to wait for a bus or taxi.

Spin pries the rusted door open and hops inside, turning the ignition only to hear it practically scream in agony. He tries several more times before feeling a jolt, followed by the hissing of the engine crapping out. Mouthing a cuss in frustration while slamming his hand against the stirring wheel, Spin jumps out and runs to the sidewalk of the neighborhood.

Upon arrival, he saw a taxi driving towards him; a shaking, brown haired man wearing a green coat and business glasses sat at the helm. The man appears to be a wreck, eyeing the speedometer every 15 seconds. Spin recognizes the driver from last year when he needed a lift to a concert and learned about his bad habit of shifting into overdrive when pressured to transport someone to a certain destination.

Spin knew he shouldn't tempt the driver into overtaxing the speed limit in order to get him to his uncle's place, but the thought of the old man put himself into more danger made him less likely to care. Waving his arms up and down, he manages to grab the driver's attention, watching as he slowed to a stop beside him. He could hear the driver constantly reminding himself about the prohibition of his license if he clocked over the speed limit again. This made Spin very uncomfortable.

"'ey, man!" he began, "I need to get to 1340 Duel Ave, pronto!"

Unfortunately, "pronto" didn't seem like the right choice of word to tell the driver as he just stares at Spin, blue in the forehead while shaking profusely before screaming "HELP" at the top of his lungs and zooming off at blinding speed.

"No, wait! You didn't let me get in!" Spin screams as he hops on a skateboard, without even caring who it belongs to, and rushes off after the cab, barely managing to keep up with the tail end.

The chase lasted an hour. By then, Spin had found himself in town, trying to outmaneuver several people, all of which he didn't stop to apologize.

The chase eventually halts when Spin collides with a male brute, twice as big as him, wearing an orange t-shirt with purple trimmings on the sleeves and collar and a small "Nuts & Nuts" logos near his right shoulder, back and sleeves; his face so twisted in rage, not only was he all teeth, his eyes could barely be seen amidst the mass of wrinkles from the expression.

The impact threw the unfortunate chaser to the concrete sidewalk while gaining a frighteningly aggravated glare from the brute who, despite not feeling much from the collision, trembles in more rage than shown.

"You brat!" he snarled, "You're lucky I got more nutz in da truck, or I'd smash yer snotty li'l face in!" Spin could see that his impact with the large man had caused him to drop a can of "Sarcastic Nuts & Nuts", spilling it all over the ground beside him.

The man's raged expression increases to the point of veins jumping out of various parts of his forehead as he stomps off towards a pickup truck with the same label and color as his shirt, but with a mascot resembling a peanut painted on the far left corner. Along the way, he steps on the skateboard Spin used to chase down the taxi, obliviously snapping it in half.

Spin watches as the brute steps into the truck, pulls out and drive off, muttering inaudible curse slurs as he did. He then looks in front of him where he last saw the taxi, acknowledging his defeat in the chase.

"Shoot, man!" he groaned, getting up and dusting himself off, "Now how'm I gonna get to Uncle's crib!?"

"You seem to be in an awful big hurry," said a voice from behind. Spin straightens up and turns around to see three men in black suits and shades standing behind him. The one on the left had a black, short afro, a gray fedora and huge shades; the one in the middle had a large, twisted, orange pompadour and amber sports shades; the last man on the right had a red afro larger than the one on the left and red, thin sports shades.

Spin didn't know what to make of the situation, but he didn't have time to explain the big rush.

"I am in a hurry, yo!" he exclaims, "It's Pop's birthday and I have to get to Uncle's crib as soon as possible!"

"Say no more, kid," the one in the middle said, "We happen to be heading in your direction anyway. You can hang with us if you don't mind sitting in the middle."

Spin threw his hands up in protest and backs away.

"Whoa, with all do respect," he said, "I have an emergency, but I don't think it's serious enough to get the government involved."

"For starters, we aren't from the government," the man on the right said, rather sternly.

"And besides," the man on the left said, coolly, "We ain't got anythin' better to do at the moment. Why not help a brother out a little?"

"Sounds to me like you've been outvoted, kid," the middle man says as he walks over and threw his arm around the back of Spin's neck, "But don't worry. You can trust us. It's not like we're intending to kidnap you or anything."

"I suppose not, but why'd you wanna help me in the first place?" Spin asks as the pompadour haired man escorts him to a black convertible, "You don't look like the kind of people who'd willin'ly offer someone a ride."

"Oh, I have my reasons," the man said, "I'll explain once we're on the road."

Spin didn't seem sure of what was going on, but figures it best to take up an offer rather than refuse and wind up walking three miles to his Uncle's place, which by then would've given him enough time to drink up something bad. He climbs into the back of the convertible and seats himself in the middle. The rest follow suit, the two afro haired men sitting on either side of Spin, making it somewhat of a tight squeeze, while the pompadour haired man took the wheel, oddly placed in the middle of the front seat.

Once everyone was situated, the pompadour haired man fires up the engine and drives off down the street. Throughout three minutes of the trip, Spin looks between the men sitting on either side of him, doing nothing but stare ahead, one crossing his arms while the other had one arm resting on the side.

"So, you helpin' your Uncle plan a surprise party for your pop?" the driver asked. Spin looks towards him before scoffing and leaning back, crossing his arms and legs while scrunching his head between his shoulders.

"As if," he mumbled, "My parents died in a rainstorm during a cruise trip to the Bahamas to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. Uncle got devastated and began plasterin' himself to the point where he was hospitalized for obliviously downin' a deadly combination of alcohol. Courts ruled it an attempt suicide and now I have to make a trip to Uncle's crib every now and then to make sure he doesn't do anythin' that'll land him back in the hospital."

"Wow, that's harsh," the driver said, sounding more sympathetic than he looks, "We've lost a few friends on that cruise too."

"Really?" Spin asked, sitting up straight.

"J, I don't think it's a good idea to start bringing it up," the red afro man said.

"Derek's right, man," the other afro man said, "If the kid thinks there's more to the accident six months ago than an ironic similarity, he might take the situation personally and do somethin' to resolve it."

"You worry too much, Morris," J said with a confident smirk, "I'm sure he's aware that whatever happened to our EBA buddies and his parents are pure coincidence."

"EBA?" Spin asked, curiously.

"Elite Beat Agents, brother," Morris said, "I'm surprised you didn't know about them. They're a world wide sensation."

"They specialize in using music to push troubled people towards their goals," Derek explains, "No matter who they are or what kind of rut they dug themselves into, it's EBA's job to make sure they dig themselves back out before it winds up being their grave."

Spin frowns as he cocks his head to the side in thought before uncrossing his legs and clenching his fists in realization.

"Ah, yeah! Now I remember!" he said, excitedly, "I heard about them cats! Everyone says they're the coolest, most generous people on the planet!" J nods in agreement, seeming to gloat on each word that came out of Spin's mouth.

"Too bad my uncle don't agree," Spin continues with a shrug, causing J's gloating grin to fade, "He says people who treat dancin' and singin' like a job are nothin' but brainless twits who should get a life."

J's cocky frown tightens with anger as he slams his foot on the brakes, causing the convertible to come to a screeching halt. Spin throws his hands into the backrest of the front seat to avoid planting his face into it, while Morris calmly grabs his fedora to keep it from flying off his head and Derek barely flinches from the jolt. Noticing the sudden air of silence, along with the two men turning their heads towards him, Spin quickly pushes back, throwing his hands up in defense.

"Whoa! 'ey! Don't get me wrong here," he protests, "Just 'cause I love Unc' doesn't mean I take every word he says. He wouldn't know the meanin' of song and dance if it blasts him in the ear." He then throws his hands onto his chest, grinning sheepishly, "Me, on the other hand; if I'd met them dawgs in person, I'd ask if I can be in their agency faster than a DJ can turn a record."

"Are you sayin' you've never met these guys in person?" Morris asks, sounding more surprised than he looks.

"Nah, man," Spin said, waving his hand up and down, "I ain't had an overbearin' problem since I was old enough to remember. Our family strives on confidence, no matter what obstacles try to slow us down." He then leans back and crosses his arms and legs again, "And that's why, even when my car clonked out on me, I never felt the urge to scream for help."

Derek muffled a grunt as he looks to J who hadn't moved since his abrupt stop.

"I don't know, J," he muttered, "He has strong patience, but I'm worried about how much he knows his own family. If his uncle really is one of our buddies that was caught in that storm, the reasons for not informing us of his survival may have something to do with the other two that are still lost." Spin looks towards Derek in confusion.

"Yeah, man," Morris agrees, "For all we know, he could've destroyed anythin' that would've given the kid some idea of what his parents were really up to."

"Wait a minute," Spin said, looking between Derek and Morris, "Are you guy's members of the Geek Squad too?"

"Geek Squad!?" Morris nearly wails.

"Well, my family was famous for respondin' to any computer problem a person might have. Everytime someone cries for help, they just grab their stuff and rush out. I'd have thought hearin' someone cry for help from miles away would be near impossible, but in this day and age with the way technology's goin', ain't nothin' on this planet that'd wind up in an episode of the X-Files."

"Hey kid," J finally spoke up, moving one arm to the backrest while turning to face Spin, "Didn't you find anything in your parent's crib that seemed a bit out of the ordinary to you."

Spin cocks an eyebrow, "Out of the ordinary? Shoot, as far as I'm concerned, livin' in a house with enough devices to make James Bond green with envy is anythin' but unorthodox. It may be a little overwhelming usin' those devices just to respond to a computer crisis. But if they say it's a faster method of seekin' and fixin' computers, I'd much prefer to stay outta their way than convince them of less freaky alternatives."

He then hunches over, placing his right elbow on his knee while resting his head on the hand attached to it and using the other hand to play around with the left side of his headphones, "When I heard about the accident, I headed over there to collect some stuff just for memorial purposes. I ain't been in there five minutes when Uncle comes bustin' in and destroys everythin' that's wired with technology, then burns the entire house to the ground. I figured it was one of his ways of puttin' the past behind him and movin' on." He sits back again and readjusts his shades, "And all I got out of that five minute scavenger hunt is Pop's specs, these headphones I found hangin' off the mannequin in Ma's closet and some red band that looks like an upside down star with the Japanese word for 'cheer' written on it."

"You didn't happen to find anything that looked unfamiliar to you?" J asked. Spin cocks his head to one side.

"Unfamiliar? Ain't nothin' in that house that my parents would hide from me. It's almost like they were expectin' me to use them when I'm good 'n ready." Spin brings his head back to an upright position as he thinks some more, "Although, I did see Uncle take out a wallet with some kind of license and a badge. I tried to get a closer look at it, but he chucks it into the fire before I could read the letters on the license. 'BA'-somethin' I think it was..."

"Wouldn't happen to look like this, would it?" J asks again, bringing up a wallet similar to what Spin described.

"Yeah! That's it!" Spin proclaims. He then bends over slightly to stare at the etchings on the lower center of the badge, "EB..." he suddenly sits back and points at the badge in shock, "You're kidding!"

"Nope. This here is genuine Elite Beat Agent material. No counterfeiter in the world can forge a badge like this and con people into thinkin' they're one of us."

Spin sits straight up with excitement, "Ah, man! I can't believe this! My parents are really Agents!?"

"The oldest members in the history of EBA," Morris said, "Them cats were the reason we're still in business today."

"Oh, wow! I bet Uncle's gonna flip when he sees you! Maybe now he won't be wastin' his life away on booze and anger and help me fit in with you guys!"

"Let's hope he does," J said as he puts the wallet away and turns his attention back to the front of the road to continue driving.

* * *

The convertible pulls up to the front of a modern looking house with a white, 5ft fence blocking the view of the backyard. Spin hops out of the car and runs towards the door, turning the knob only to feel it stop 3inches. Cursing under his breath, he rang the doorbell getting no response.

"Are you sure he didn't go out somewhere?" J asked from the car.

"I wish," Spin grumbled to himself, knowing his Uncle would be too busy plastering himself to even think of coming out the front door. Fed up with the ignorance, he sprints over to the fence, jumps up and grabs the edge, using it as support to catapult himself onto the other side.

The back of the neighborhood shared a lake wide enough for boat riding and other water activity. But today, it seemed the only occupants in the water were a couple of ducks that appear to be taking a break from their trip south to escape the upcoming winter season.

Spin found a dark skinned man somewhere in his mid-late 30's, wearing a white muscle-T, that all but hid his beer gut, and knee-high shorts. He sat in the middle of the lawn taking up most of the area around his house with roughly seven bottles of bourbon cluttered around him and another in his hand; staring out at the lake as though it were a TV. Spin tries hard not to look disgusted by how much liquor the man may have consumed before he got here.

"Hey, Uncle! Wazzup!" he yelled, barely getting a three second glance from the beer-bellied slob before turning back where he was originally looking.

"Can't you see I'm busy!?" he grumbled, his speech slurred from the effects of the bourbon, "Go away and leave me alone!"

"Busy!?" Spin complained, walking to his uncle and grabbing one of the empty bourbon bottles, "You call drowning yourself in booze busy!?" he threw the bottle behind him, causing it to shatter upon impact with the fence he jumped over, "Uncle! This...junk is the reason you've been put on suicide watch! You shouldn't treat Pop's birthday like it was the worst moment of your life!"

"Who are you to tell me what I can and can't do!?" Spin's uncle said, whirling around to face him, "Do you take my advice when I tell you what's right and wrong!? I tried to warn you that frivolous activities will not get you a paying job. Now look at you! Living in a small apartment and barely making money off selling bootlegged CDs to the black market to put food on the table!" Spin's annoyance increased as his uncle turns his back on him, "You think you know everything and have the right to control my life. You're no better than those brain-dead monkeys in black suits, thinking they can save lives by dancing like idiots!"

"Brain-dead monkeys!? I'm appalled!" called a sarcastic voice. The uncle's face twists into a raging snarl as Spin turns to see J sitting on top of the fence, legs crossed, with his head resting on his fist as the arm attached to it rests on his knee, the other arm pressed against his side and a cocky smirk on his face, "Weren't you the one who was all for the idea of busting moves and motivating people to fight their problems?"

"What the hell...!? Get outta my yard!" Spin's uncle yelled, getting up and throwing one of his empty bottles at J, who grabs the fence for support as he drops back, letting the bottle sail over him. He then throws his body forward, launching him off the fence and landing safely on the grassy surface of the yard.

"C'mon!" J said as he unlatches and opens the fence, allowing Morris and Derek to walk in, "It's been six months since we last saw you, Agent Techno! I'd expect you'd be happy to see us!"

"What's to be happy with, you gang of wannabe cheerleaders!?" Techno grabbed the entire collection of bourbon bottles and throws them at the trio, forcing them to jump high into the air and land on the other side of the yard near the two.

"I still can't believe you were an EBA, Unc!" Spin said enthusiastically, "Why didn't you tell me after all these months of sittin' around drinkin' yourself to death!?"

"Because I don't want you gettin' mixed up in their careless schemes!" Techno growls angrily, shooting a bloodshot eye towards the trio standing behind him, "These so-called 'supporters' say they can help a person get through their dilemmas, but what they really care about is their own stinkin' performance! Even when we were caught in that storm, they barely lifted a finger to come and find us!"

"Hey, cut us some slack here," J said, throwing his arm around the back of Techno's neck and pressing his finger into his cheek, "How could we ditch such fine agents like you? You're our role models!" Veins started to appear on Techno's aggravated face, "When we got word that the unit was caught in a storm six months ago, most of our time was spent looking for clues to their whereabouts." He took his finger off Techno's cheek and observed his appearance, "Though, I imagined you'd be a lot thinner than this. Perhaps if you'd given us a sign that you were still alive, we could've helped you get back into sha-"

"Don't you dare try to be buddy-buddy with me, you rat!" Techno yelled, knocking J's arm off and shoving him towards the edge of the embankment leading to the lake.

"Whoa! Hey! What's with the hostilities, man!?" J yelped as he struggled to regain balance, his heels dangerously close to the edge towering over the deep and dark waters. Techno began marching towards him with rage still present on his drunken face.

"You think you can trick my nephew into believin' you care about everyone you shimmy to?" he growled as he neared J, who cringes from the sight and tries to back away only to realize how close he was to the pool's edge, "They was all I had, my family, my blood, my life! And you dare say they a role model when you didn't have the decency to come runnin' to their aide when they needed it the most!?" he gets into J's face, forcing him to bend back, "You don't even deserve to claim that my brother had anythin' to do with whatever shenanigans you learned six months after the day you let them die!"

J continues to bend back the more Techno got into his face before his left foot slips on the muddy grass. He yelps, flapping his arms to regain his balance, but was too bent back to even lift his head, causing him to fall into the lake. Spin cringes as Morris and Derek turn to look at the bubbles piling up from where J fell. It took almost a minute before the misfortunate agent resurfaces, spitting out a mouth full of water; his large pompadour now a flat mess of bangs covering his entire face, to which he shook to one side.

A shadow engulfs J as he looks up to see Techno practically tower over him, the angry expression never leaving his face.

"People say you Agents are the heroes who help them overcome their worst obstacles," Techno growled, "but I ain't no fool. Not after what you did to my brother six months ago!"

"W-wait a minute! Hear us out, will ya!?" J stutters as he brings his arms up in defense while floating back a couple inches.

"I'm through hearing your lame excuses! I'm through thinkin' that you actually have a part in people's stress relief when the only thing you do is force people to fight their own problems! Y'all nothin' but a bunch of loons who believe song and dance can make a change in a persons life!" Techno then turns and storms off towards the house, forcing Morris and Derek to calmly step away from each other as they were standing in his path.

"Uncle!" Spin exclaims, but by the time he attempts to run after Techno, the glass door slides shut with a loud bang. Morris and Derek merely glance towards the door before turning and walking over to J who drops his hands back below to surface to support his buoyancy.

"That could've gone better," J sighs as Morris and Derek reach their hands out towards him, to which he reaches both hands up to grab. With one heave, the two haul J out of the water and onto the embankment.

"Hey, y'all alright?" Spin asks as he runs over to the trio.

"Eh, it's nothing a little hair gel couldn't fix," J said with a shrug.

"I'm worried about Techno, though," Morris said, "he used to be all about cheerin' people up. Is he really intent on makin' us look like bad guys?"

"Even if he tried, I doubt he'll get anyone to believe him," J said while shaking some water from his arms, "I felt that dark vibe coming from Techno when he shoved me. It wasn't just the fear of his family getting slaughtered by, what he believed to be, our cynical duty, but also the emotional pain he suffered when we didn't respond to his situation fast enough."

"The fact is," Derek began, "Since Techno's alive, there's a small chance that Twist and Twirl are alive as well. I think it's best that we inform the Commander about this before we worry about what to do afterwards."

"Yeah, you're right," J said before turning his attention to Spin, "I suppose you're sitting this one out?"

Spin shrugs sympathetically, "With all do respect, man. I'd love to go with you, but after what happened just now, I'm bettin' Uncle's rootin' through his wine cellar for somethin' strong to guzzle down. I should probably just lay low 'til he calms down before decidin' my future." J sighs a bit before shrugging.

"Well, it may be a while before we run into each other again, but if you think its best."

Spin watches as the agents head out of the yard before sighing himself and heading towards the house, sliding the glass door open and walking inside.

End Notes:

1. Yes, in case you aren't aware, that "strange band" Spin mentioned is the armband worn by the Ouendan. The reasons will be explained either in the next chapter or later in the series.

2. The reason Spin's mother is an Agent rather than a Diva will also be explained in the next chapter.


	2. Episode 2: Escape the Life of Darkness

Episode 2: Escape the Life of Darkness

Two weeks after the encounter with the EBA, Spin lays on his bed in his one space apartment, listening to some music he burned off his computer. He had a lot of questions running through his mind concerning his parent's involvement with the agency and if he'll ever be able to follow in their footsteps; given his uncle's reluctance to shell out more information of their secret occupation.

His thoughts were cut off when he heard a ring. Sighing, Spin rolls onto his stomach and digs his hand through the pile of CDs practically carpeting his room until he plucks a cordless phone from the mess. Pressing the "on" button, he holds the phone to his ear, but didn't have time to greet the person talking to him.

"I need more beer!" demands a voice Spin, unfortunately, knew too well.

"Uncle," he groaned, "I'm not exactly in a position to be running errands for you! Can't you take the bus or somethin'!"

"Get me some bourbon and three six-packs of Bud-Lite! And while you're at it, get me 10 cans of Sarcastic Nuts&Nuts!" before Spin could protest, he hears a click, indicating that Techno had hung up on him. Huffing a curse word in Japanese, he throws the phone back into the CD pile, gets up and storms out of the apartment.

* * *

Spin drove through the city in his trash-heap of a convertible, which surprisingly decided to cooperate since its breakdown two weeks ago. Sitting in the backseat of the car are two paper bags with the "M-Mart" logo on the sides, one containing the adult beverages Techno demanded, and the other containing a stack of 10 "Sarcastic Nuts&Nuts". Spin doesn't see why Techno would even stand eating something that tasted like squirrel vomit, but at the moment, he didn't seem to care. He just wanted to get this errand over and done with so he can go back home and take a nap.

As he was nearing a stoplight, Spin noticed it was turning yellow. He takes his foot off the gas and presses it against the brake pedal, but the car continues to move. Frowning, he hits the pedal again, still getting nothing but more mileage on his meter.

"Come on," he grumbles, hitting the brake several more times, "Don't do this to me now, you stupid piece of junk!" Frustrated, he slams his foot onto the brakes, the impact causing the gas pedal to sag to the floor.

The car suddenly speeds up, blazing past the stoplight, barely making Spin miss a red light by nearly a second. He yelps as he began turning his steering wheel left and right to avoid plowing into pedestrians crossing the street.

After speeding through the streets for what seemed like three minutes, Spin caught sight of the guardrails leading to the Manhattan bay and yelps in hysteria.

"A'right, I take back it back! You're not a stupid piece of junk!" he pleads while stomping the brakes several more times, "Just do me a favor and STOOOOOOOOOOOOP!"

Once again, the car doesn't respond and continues to careen towards the guardrail. Muffling a half-groan, half-whimper, Spin straightens his arms and braces for impact as the car breaks through the rail with little to no effort and nosedives into the ocean below.

As the car slowly sank into the salty substance, Spin muffles more Japanese curse words while unbuckling his seatbelt and swimming a few feet away. He then turns to watch as the rest of the car vanished below the surface, groceries and all. He sighs with annoyance as his shoulders slump.

"Shoot man," he complains, "Sometimes I wonder if Uncle enjoys makin' me suffer for his sake."

"Hey! Are you really the son of Mr. Twist and Mrs. Twirl!" calls a monotone, child-like voice from behind. Spin turns around to find a Siberian husky with sports shades and a red collar with a miniature, bone-shaped, stereo-like medallion poke its head through the bottom guardrail.

"He must be!" said another monotone, child-like voice as a Golden Retriever wearing a violet red beret and a denim collar with the same bone-shaped medallion as the husky leans on top of the guardrail, "No one would've been able to exit a vehicle as calmly as he did!"

Spin cocks an eyebrow as a black Shiba Inu with a spiked collar, a Shih Tzu with a Japanese print collar, and a Yorkshire Terrier with a lily hanging over its left ear and a rainbow collar, crowd around the two dog to get a look at him; all three having the same bone-shaped medallion on their collars.

"Well, isn't this a familiar predicament," says a familiar voice. Spin looks to the left of the five dogs to see J leaning on the guardrail with his trademark, cocky grin and frown.

"Yo, aren't you J, the one who helped get me to Unc's place two weeks ago?" Spin asks as he climbs out of the water and onto the sidewalk.

"You have good memory, kid," J said as Spin removes his black, leather jacket and holds it over the guardrail to shake off excess water. He turns his attention to the five dogs and points his thumb towards Spin, "Boys and girls, I give you the son of Twist and Twirl."

"Hello, Mr. Son of Mr. Twist and Mrs. Twirl!" the five said in unison, tails wagging.

"Twist and Twirl..." Spin mutters to himself before throwing his jacket back on, "Are they really my parents' codenames?"

"Yep. Chosen for how well they pivot and turn when dancing," J walks off as the five dogs follow after him, "They make Elvis look like a cripple when they groove."

Spin looks away a bit while readjusting the headphones around his neck before following after J, "You said my parents were role models. Are they really that sensational?"

"Well, I signed onto the EBA about two months before the accident, so I haven't seen the full extent of their talents," J said, "But according to others in the agency, these two bring a whole new meaning to the phrase 'Fight for Your Right'. And the crazy thing is, they will do close to anything to stay on top."

"Really? Shoot, that's determination."

"Twist was actually my mentor during the two months since he was still present, which is why I was so intent on finding him. I was hoping your Uncle might at least give some hints on whether or not he and Twirl were still alive. But the encounter two weeks ago pretty much leads me to think he's had no luck even believing they were still out there." J looks over to Spin, "Which leads me to a little question I've been wanting to ask you. What made you believe that EBA was different from how your Uncle described us?"

Spin scoffs and crosses his arms, "Unc' wouldn't know what he was sayin' if I had to write it down word for word. And besides, with all the media hype, I figure you wouldn't be the kind of person who would just show up, dance and then leave without at least checkin' to make sure everythin's peachy-keen." He then moves his right arm and places is it on his side while pointing towards J with his left hand, "But the real reason, and this is gonna sound crazy, is because of a feelin' in my heart that told me y'all okay."

"Feelin' in your heart, eh? In my point of view, that seems perfectly normal."

"You think so?"

"Sure thing. After all, your Pop was the one who mentioned it." Spin cocks his head to one side while raising an eyebrow, "I didn't get much info on this sixth sense, other than the fact he got it from this Ryu-guy in Japan. He calls it a better alternative than relying on that radar in EBA's command center. But because our Commander relies on NASA-like technology to get him out of a pitch, he saw spirit seeking as a joke and refused to give it a try."

"I don't blame him. The amount of meditating it takes to even know how many people are in one room? I couldn't stay awake more than five seconds when I tried that process. I'm surprised I could feel anythin' in my heart from as far as a yard."

"There has been a lot of crazy stuff that the Commander disapproved of. Your parents didn't seem to mind the blasphemy and just used it for themselves. When your parents disappeared, I decided to give this sixth sense a go around. I figured if I can sense spirits as well as they did, I'd know where they are so I can locate and bring them back. Unfortunately, with other missions and training to attend to, I barely had more than three hours to spend sitting in my quarters, meditating. The closest I've gotten in that amount of time is getting vibes whenever I touch someone, or vise versa."

Beeping blares within J's pocket as he looks down towards it, "Speaking of missions..." he reaches in and pulls out a small, cell phone-like device, pressing a button and holding it to his ear.

"There is a babysitter in distress," says a voice, "All available Agents report to the scene immediately for further instructions."

J's shades gleam as his grin widens a bit to show his teeth, "Heh, typical child problems. Still a job is a job." He then puts the device away and looks over to Spin, "Fancy a bit of a demonstration into our daily duty?"

Spin beams at the offer, "Really! Count me in, brother!"

* * *

In a white house somewhere in the quiet neighborhood just miles from the big city, Don Tanner, a star receiver of the local football team is practicing his throw down in the kitchen of Jane, a young babysitter (currently on break) with blonde pigtails, a pink and white stripped T-Shirt and tight jeans. She can only watch with slight embarrassment as her boyfriend makes a noisy touchdown on her kitchen table.

"Hey Don..." she mutters a bit before heading over to the table with a tray of glasses filled with orange juice, "I was thinking..." she continues while handing Don a drink, "Maybe we can try to go stea..." she's immediately cut off by a ring of her doorbell. Aggravated, she turns to the door, "Now who could that be!"

Upon heading to the door and opening it, she catches sight of a mother and three kids, two boys and a girl, crowding around her.

"Kids," the mother said, "Jane will look after you today."

Jane's expression turns to overbearing shock at the sudden change in schedule. But before she could protest, the kids plow through her and rowdily enter the house while the mother climbs into the car and drives away. By the time she's aware of the trouble she's in, she hears a startled help from the kitchen followed by a loud slam.

Turning around, she finds two of the kids piled onto Don; the girl rubbing some ice cream into his face while the boy began slamming his fist into his shoulder.

"Jane!" he yells in frustration, "Get these kids off me!" his frustrated expression increases, "Either they go...!" he then knocks the kids off and gets up, pointing at a very terrified Jane with the girl's ice cream planted on the side of his head, "OR I GO!"

Terror turns to anxiety over her worsening day and Jane does what any stressed out babysitter would do. Rearing her head back, she screams at the top of her lungs.

_**HEEEEAAAALLLLP!**_

* * *

J pulls the convertible up to where his built-in GPS told him the hapless babysitter would be. Spin sat on one side of J in the front seat while Lava, the husky, sat on the other side; the remaining four dogs crowding the backseat.

"Well, so you decided to show up after all," says a voice from the sidewalk. Everyone turns to see a young girl with blonde hair, wearing glasses on her forehead, a red halter-top, arm bands that look like they came from the west, and pants with openings near the crotch area, exposing some very short shorts.

"Hey! It's Ms. Starr!" Lava barks, "You got the message too!"

"Can't miss the daily missions, right?" asked Missy, another girl with brown, braided pigtails, wearing the same outfit as Starr.

"You boys have all the fun nowadays," said Foxx, the third girl in the same outfit as Missy and Starr; her hair a silvery color and a laptop hanging off her shoulder, "Why don't you take some time off and let the girls do their thing?"

"Hey," J playfully protests, "The Commander said 'available agents'. That doesn't include me?"

"Sorry, J," Starr said with bombastic sympathy, "But last I checked, walking your dogs isn't considered 'available' in our book."

J pouts, throwing his elbow on the backrest while planting his cheek on his hand as the girls head off towards Jane's house to prepare for their mission. Spin playfully whistles.

"Those girls got game," he said.

"They ain't called Divas for nothing," J said, looking at Spin while dropping his hand down, "Your mother formed that unit roughly 4 years ago and these girls were eager to jump on board."

"No kiddin'?" Spin said, looking to the Divas as they took their pompoms out of the convertible a few feet from them, "I don't see Mom as the type who'd enjoy dancing like some high school cheerleader."

"Well, EBA isn't strictly black and white in terms of gender. You either train to become an Agent or Diva. Since it hasn't changed, even with the start of the second unit, your mother didn't feel like swapping positions just to even out the odds. Not to mention our Commander took over the dress code and dance-style of the Divas which, while Twirl didn't complain too much about it, didn't make her too thrilled either. But that's just her tomboyish personality."

Spin hums in contemplation before crossing his arms and looking at J, "So what now?"

"Since I've been snuffed out of my mission," J said, "I'd say we just stick around and monitor the progress of the babysitter's dilemma. I'm sure once you see how much EBA can really help in situations like this you might have a clearer idea of where to go afterwards."

Spin cocks his head to one side before looking at the monitor near the steering wheel, finding it switch from the GPS map to the living room where Jane is trying to put the baby of the three kids down for a nap. However, with the other two kids noisily tormenting Don, the process was anything but smooth.

Just as Jane was about to give up, she heard music slowly tune up in her ears. Outside, the Divas began dancing and waving their pompoms to the beat of the song being played.

_Well, you're walkin' and a-talkin'_

_And a-movin' and a-groovin'_

_And a-hippin' and a-hoppin'_

_And a-pickin' and a-boppin'_

_Those bods are being bad,_

_You better take a stand,_

_You gonna wake up that thing in your hand._

_You're looking all around,_

_There's trouble to be found, _

_Make sure, when you find it, you get to say it loud._

_Got a code three - need back up - _

_Bring me my bright pink fluoro jacket!_

The sounds of Steriogram's "Walkie Talkie Man" filled Jane with jiving confidence as she stretches her arms out, holding the baby in her hands, and began swinging him around. At the sound of the baby's joyful squeal, the two kids stop pestering Don and look to the scene before them. Finding it more entertaining than seeing how high his boiling point can go, the two sit down and watch Jane try to tire out the baby.

_He's fat and he don't run too fast, (Well, you're walkin' and a-talkin')_

_But he's faster than me. (You're my walkie talkie man)_

_Last night at the show we saw him (Well, you're walkin' and a-talkin')_

_Going out of his tree._

_Go! Go! Go! Go!_

Jane suddenly stops when she sees the baby's face squint from, what appears to be, abdominal pain. She smells something rancid and looks down to see his diapers enlarge at rapid speed, causing her to panic.

"Oh no!" she screamed, "We don't have any diapers!"

Don catches sight of Jane's dilemma, trying to think of what he could do to help. A thought suddenly pops into his head, associating the diaper with one of his quarterback moves. Donning his football helmet, he snatches the baby from the hands of a startled Jane and charges for the bathroom, pulling the diaper off and slamming the baby onto the toilet before he could make a mess. Once emptied of all excretes, the baby finally goes to sleep.

"Sleeping like an Angel!" Jane says excitedly as she gives thumbs-up to a rooting Don. Once the baby had been placed in his crib, she confronts Don, blushing slightly, "You know Don, I was thinking..." she didn't finish when one of the kids, a brown haired girl in a blue dress, jumps up between them, startling them both.

"I'M HUNGRY!" she exclaims. Jane panics and rushes her to the kitchen to find something for her to eat.

_Well, you're walkin' and a-talkin'_

_And a-freakin' and a-yellin'_

_And a-bossin' and a-speakin'_

_And a-lookin' and a-pointin'_

_Always tell us what to do_

_With your high top shoes,_

_And you wave your torch _

_With your black short-shorts._

_Don't let em get away;_

_Don't think they can play;_

_Nail 'em to the wall,_

_'Cause you really need to say:_

_Got a code three - need back up - _

_Bring me my bright pink fluoro jacket_

Jane roots through her cupboards, coming across some donuts in the far corner. She yanks them out and dumps them onto the plate before rushing them over to the girl, who started whining over her hunger pains.

Like a savage beast, the girl grabs the donuts and starts chomping them down, one by one. Jane can only stand back and root for her to fill herself up, all the while hoping she doesn't continue whining when she cleans the plate.

_He's fat and he don't run too fast, (Well, you're walkin' and a-talkin')_

_But he's faster than me. (You're my walkie talkie man)_

_Last night at the show we saw him (Well, you're walkin' and a-talkin')_

_Going out of his tree._

_Go! Go! Go! Go!_

The girl digs through the box for more donuts, not even finding a crumb. Her stomach continues to gurgle as she growls, then screams and cries in a fit of anger

"I'M STILL HUNGRY!" she exclaims, stomping the floor.

"O-Okay!" Jane panics, rummaging through her fridge before coming across a leftover hotdog, "How about a hotdog!" she stuffs it into the microwave and cooks it for two minutes, then takes it out.

Don enters the kitchen, catching sight of Jane try to rush to the girl while being careful not to drop the hotdog. Associating it with another football move, the star quarterback dons his helmet again, grabs the hotdog and throws it towards the girl's gaping mouth. Upon contact with the tongue, the girl stops crying and throws Don a thumbs-up for his bulls-eye shot.

"Hotdog, ala Don Special!" Jane says as she throws another thumbs-up to the rooting Don while patting the girl on the head. Once the girl was satisfied with her cravings, Jane confronts Don again, "I was really thinking if we could..." the two are cut off again by the boy running his skateboard through the house. Aggravated, Jane is forced to hold off on her question and starts chasing him around the house in hopes of stopping him before he tore it apart.

_Well, you're walkin' and a-talkin'_

_And a-movin' and a-groovin'_

_And a-hippin' and a-hoppin'_

_And a-pickin' and a-boppin'_

_Those bods are being bad,_

_You better take a stand,_

_You gonna wake up that thing in your hand._

_You're looking all around,_

_There's trouble to be found, _

_Make sure, when you find it, you get to say it loud._

_Got a code three - need back up - _

_Bring me my bright pink fluoro jacket!_

Jane could barely keep up with the boy as he continues to ride his skateboard around the house at dangerous speeds. In a last ditch effort, she crouches down and leaps towards him, barely managing to grab hold of him while steering him around the house like a wild bronco.

_He's fat and he don't run too fast, (Well, you're walkin' and a-talkin')_

_But he's faster than me. (You're my walkie talkie man)_

_Last night at the show we saw him (Well, you're walkin' and a-talkin')_

_Going out of his tree._

_Go! Go! Go! Go!_

Jane loses grip of the skateboard and tumbles back several feet. By the time she regained her composure, the boy was nearing the rail of the stairs. Panicking, she jumps to her feet and rushes off after the boy, being one step behind him as he jumps his skateboard onto the rails and uses it as a ramp to slide down, soaring through the air when he reached the end.

Don catches sight of the boy flying through the air and once again slaps his helmet on when another football move jumps into his head. Rushing in front of the boy, he reaches up and grabs him just as he lost hold of his skateboard and was dangerously close to planting his face on the floor.

"Kids just wanna have fun!" Jane says as she pushes the reluctant boy towards the corner for a time out. She confronts Don again, thinking it best to just come out and say it, "Don, I..." but even that didn't save her as the baby starts fussing loudly again, "Gotta put Tommy to bed again!"

_He's fat and he don't run too fast,_

_But he's faster than me._

_Last night at the show we saw him_

_Going out of his tree._

Jane repeats her routine from earlier in the day, taking the baby and swinging him around in an attempt to excitedly tire him out. Once again, the kids sit around Don to root for her success.

_My walkie talkie man!_

_(First verse overlaps with chorus)_

_He's fat and he don't run too fast, (Well, you're walkin' and a-talkin')_

_But he's faster than me. (You're my walkie talkie man)_

_Last night at the show we saw him (Well, you're walkin' and a-talkin')_

_Going out of his tree._

_Go! Go! Go! Go!_

By the time the song nears the end, all three kids are warn out, sleeping in Jane's bed. She and Don watch from the door with happy and relief on their faces.

"Thanks to you, Don," Jane said, "The kids are finally asleep." She then lowers her head, blushing timidly, "Don..." she looks up to him, her blushing cheeks darkening, "Be my steady."

Don stares at Jane in surprise, associating her with the football's touchdown goal before winking, "My pleasure!" he then pecks a kiss on Jane's flushed cheeks, "Its victory for Tanner!"

"Oh Don," she says, half embarrassed, half shy.

* * *

"Another victory for the Divas!" Sabin, the Shih Tzu, howls as they watch the mother drive up to pick up her kids.

"Hey! Who's side are you on!" J sarcastically pouts, eyeing Sabin who just stands in the backseat, wagging his tail. He then turns and points at him, "I'll have you know that if they hadn't taken advantage of my absence, I'd've been the one giving those kids a run for their money!"

"Oooh, is that jealousy I'm hearing?" Starr giggles as she and the other two Divas crowd around the convertible again. J merely eyes her as she leans on the front seat door, resting her chin on her folded fingers, "Trust me, J-boy. I think that babysitter needed more than just a man to woo her over." J puckers his lips as he flops the hand he used to point at Sabin along the backrest.

"I get it now," Missy said, noticing Spin sitting next to J, "He wants to show off to Twist and Twirl's son. Is that right?"

"Oh really?" Foxx said, moving closer to Missy to examine Spin, "So this is the son of the famous Twist and Twirl. I have to say, when you didn't immediately jump onboard six months ago, we figured you were too distraught over what happened to even find us. Turns out there's more to your delayed entrance than we were lead to believe."

Spin shrugs sheepishly.

"Me, distraught?" he asks rhetorically, "I admit I cried myself to sleep when I got the news. But I bounced back the next day and everythin' was smooth sailin'. Ain't no way I'd stoop to Unc's level of movin' on."

"Yeah, it's real sad Techno AWOL'd on us," Missy said with a disappointed shrug, "He probably would've been a great help to the future of EBA."

"Are you kidding?" Foxx laughs, "That guy has more of an obsession with machines than I do. I bet the reason he jumped onboard in the first place was to get his hands on whatever stands out from any common device in existence."

"That explains why he was given the codename 'Techno'," Starr said before pushing past Foxx and Missy and walking toward Spin. She places her elbow on his shoulder and leans against him, causing him to blush slightly, "Well then, kid. Now that you've seen the EBA routine, will you be joining us in saving the world from the tide of doom and gloom?"

Spin scoffs playfully, "Girl, that decisions been on my mind since I first heard about the agency."

"What about Techno?" Missy asked, "Aren't you worried he might go livid over your decision?"

"What Unc' don't know don't hurt him, right?" Spin rhetorically asks, "All I have to do is keep up this suicide watch routine and he won't even suspect I'm jivin' to every depressed person in this country."

"Spoken like a sly little man with a big heart," J said, "Well, let's head back home and get you prepared."

The Divas left J's convertible, heading back to theirs as he fires up the engine and drives off down the street.

End Notes:

1. The five dogs following J around, the rest of whom will be introduced later on, are based off five of the six dogs I own in Nintendogs.

2. Yes, I do believe that choosing to be an Agent or a Diva is anything but black and white, since Kahn practically dances like a Diva when he's chosen to take Starr's place.

3. For those who got who the "Ryu-guy" is, I'll be brief so I don't spoil too much of the "surprise". The whole "spirit sensing" idea (Which will be explained more later on) is just my point of view of how the Ouendan were able to respond so quickly to ones devistated cry for help (Not to mention the fact they cheered a dead motorcyclist to gain forgiveness from his wife).

4. Please excuse my lack of description of the Divas. I have yet to get past the last stage of the game on Sweatin' mode, so most of what I do know came from watching their stages on YouTube (That don't have Commander Kahn filling in for Starr).


	3. Episode 3

Episode 3: Fitting into Unfamiliar Surroundings

J pulls up to a rundown garage deep in the ghost town of Manhattan. Spin looks around while the pompadour haired agent pressed some buttons near the steering wheel.

"So, what's goin' on out here?" he asked.

"You'll see," J said sitting up straight and continuing to drive. When they entered the garage, Spin notices some dim lights in the back of the supposedly dark room. A few seconds later, he sees something slide up, revealing a tunnel covered in blue lights. They drive down the tunnel for a few minutes before reaching a huge parking lot with several more tunnels leading to different parts of the continent and monitors taking up most of the dome-shaped ceiling, showing maps of various parts of the world.

Spin whistles in astonishment, "I imagine an agency that spreads joy nationwide would have some highly advanced technology. But DAYUM!"

"Can't save the world from depression without a few gadgets to help us out," J said as he turns off the ignition, "With these radar systems, there won't be anyplace on the world that we can't miss."

"What the hell're you doing!" booms a voice. J groans in frustration as a tall, muscular agent with a black cowboy hat, gray, thin shades, shoulder long, black hair, a thin mustache, and a slightly curved beard marches towards the convertible in a huff, "It's bad enough that your dogs are shedding hair all over the car seats! But what's the idea of bringing in some stranger without informing us!"

"I was going to inform you sooner, Chieftain," J said, "But I got caught up in trying to respond to that distress call earlier." He then points his thumb towards Spin, "And this ain't no stranger. Remember when the Commander mentioned Twist and Twirl having a son? You happen to be looking at him right now."

Chieftain darts a glare towards Spin, who cringes nervously at the agent's height and size. He then turns his attention back to J.

"Then I'll take him to the Commander," he said before thrusting his finger towards J, "You clean up all that dog hair that's blanketing the seats of this car!" J scoffs in sarcasm.

"Look, I brushed their furs this morning," he said, "I doubt there's barely a strand of hair lurking around the fabric."

"You better hope there isn't...for your sake!" Chieftain growls as he marches off. Spin looks to J, who just shrugs, before nervously getting out and following the tall agent towards the tunnels labeled "EBA Central".

* * *

The double doors slid open as Chieftain walks inside with Spin following close behind. Most of the room is dark except for a bright monitor at the far end, showing a map of the world. Sitting below the monitor, and facing it, is an elderly man with six-starred shoulder pads.

"So, they finally managed to pry you from Techno's grasp," the man said, turning around to face Spin, "A shame he no longer sees us as the helpers we were before..."

From the front, the man had a black mustache, huge, green shades with a scar protruding from the lower left eye, and an outfit that signified his position as Commander. He folds his hands while leaning his elbows on his desk, "I am Commander Kahn. I'm sure Agent J has informed you of why your parents are important to us."

"Sure did," Spin said, rather enthused, "Said my parents are role models who gave people a reason to stand up for themselves."

"Yes. If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't be as big as we are today. Ten years ago, we were merely a group of freelancers who experimented with using music to cheer up a lowly person's heart. It wasn't until your parents and Uncle came onboard that EBA really became more than just word of mouth. Some of the stuff they have done in the past, however, were considered unorthodox in my opinion, yet it's helped them get through missions faster than any other recruit in this agency."

"Sweet stuff, man! Did they mention anythin' about when they were gonna let me in on this?"

"I...did overhear them say they were going to tell you the truth about their secret job after their anniversary trip," Kahn said, sounding mournful, "But then the accident occurred, separating us from any contact with your family. It wasn't until two weeks ago that we finally located your Uncle. However, our Em-o-meter showed he was in a more than foul mood, which is probably one reason why Agent J offered to take you to him rather than go there himself and risk something far worse than a ruined pompadour."

Spin sighs a bit, "I tried to make myself believe that Uncle burnt my parents' house down just to put the past behind him, but deep inside, I knew he was tryin' to hide somethin' out of fear that he'd lose me too."

Kahn hums in concern, "I see... It seems that, during the aftermath of the accident, your Uncle may have lead himself to believe we were ignoring his distress signal, despite the fact that we became aware of the incident just seconds after it happened. Unfortunately, the storm was too strong for any of our air vehicles to brave it, so we were forced to delay the search until it calmed down. Our efforts for finding them in time may have been limited, but it didn't stop us from believing they were still alive. And now that we know Agent Techno is alive, there's a good chance Agents Twist and Twirl are alive as well."

"Well, now that I'm here, this search will be a whole lot more easy."

"Don't think you can get in like that, kid," Chieftain barked, pointing at Spin, "In order for you to be an agent, you have to prove you can use your talents to motivate people into achieving their goals. And considering Techno has barricaded you from the truth, I doubt you even know how to dance."

"What you gotta be harsh on me!" Spin exclaims, "My parents were Agents themselves. I'm sure their talents rubbed off on me."

"Shared talents don't always make an Agent," Kahn said, "It also takes practice, a keen sense of rhythmic style and the right movements to turn the frowns of even the most devastated of people. Therefore, it's only best that we observe your talents through an assessment test. You will be given one week to brush up on your skills and learn any new moves that may help prepare you for the test."

"One week?" Spin scoffs, "Shoot. By then, I'd be jivin' myself to boredom! This'll be a snap!"

Kahn grins cockily, "You have the spunk of your mother and father. I hope you can actually live up to your words when the time comes."

* * *

J walked along the hallways of EBA Central early the next day with Derek following right beside him.

"How do you think that new kid's gonna fair with this whole training regimen?" Derek asked, "Considering Techno was reluctant to let any one of his family members follow in Twist and Twirl's footsteps, I suspect he may have banned him from doing anything related to music."

"Just because Techno's trying to lock up the truth doesn't mean he'll deprive the kid of his interests," J said, "I'm sure he's gone to a couple of dance clubs to get a feel of boogying to the sound of music. There's no way he wouldn't be able to..."

"Fire on the dance floor! Fire on the dance floor!" yells a monotone, child-like voice. Both Derek and J stop to find Diablo, the Golden Retriever, and Lava rush over to them.

"It's terrible!" Lava barks, "Mr. Chieftain is hazing that son of Mr. Twist and Mrs. Twirl!"

"He keeps telling him that he's missing his steps even though he looks like he's doing a superb job!" Diablo barks, "If we don't stop them, I'm worried they might hurt each other in a fight!"

Derek and J look to each other in worry before the quartet rushed down the hall. They soon reach a window on the right wall, showing a dancing room with mirrors making up the entire four corners. Standing in the middle of the room is Chieftain and Spin, who appear to be ratting each other out.

"Instead of just tellin' me I'm missin' my steps," Spin complains, "Why don't you tell me what I'm doin' wrong so I can fix it!"

"A tone deaf brat like you wouldn't understand even if I had to hypnotize it into your thick skull!" Chieftain yells, "I have repeated the song five times, and not once have you shown any signs of improvement!"

"That's because Mr. 'I'll-Be-Your-Mentor' would rather stand back and nag about whatever step I missed than do somethin' that would help me correct that error!"

"I'll have you know that I've been trained by your mother for nearly five years! I know every step she's taken into getting her jobs done and how well she performs in those steps! The way I'm seeing it now, you missed your opportunity to get into this business long before you were even aware that your parents were Agents themselves!"

"Hey! Don't you dare start sayin' that my last ten years of family livin' left me without the slightest bit of musical talent!" Spin said while shoving Chieftain, "Just because I didn't know what my parents were really up to doesn't mean I can't make a decent performance with what I have on me!"

Chieftain growls and grabs Spin by his shirt, hauling him off the ground, "You, boy, have just hit my last button!"

By the time Chieftain was gearing up to lay a punch on Spin's face, one of the mirrors flew open as Derek and J rushed in. Derek yanks Spin from Chieftain's grip and pushes him back a couple of feet.

"Whoa! Did you have coffee this morning?" he asked, "I suggest you go get some before you do anything that'll ruin your reputation!"

Chieftain shoots a glare at Derek before turning and storming out of the room. Derek and J sigh a bit before a voice booms overhead.

"All available Agents, please report to the command room immediately," Kahn's voice boomed, "We have ourselves another situation that needs to be dealt with immediately."

Derek looks to J who holds up a hand.

"I'll handle this, you go see what's going on," he said. Derek seemed a bit unsure, but nods and heads out. Once the mirror door closed, Spin sighs in exasperation, dropping to a sitting position while clasping his hands onto his face.

"Shoot," he grumbled, "Three hours spent getting hazed and forced to repeat the same song to the point of insanity. And he yells at me like I'm supposed to know what the hell I'm doin' wrong."

"Yeah... You'll have to excuse Chieftain on that," J said, "Coffee was a little late, so he's in a really grumpy mood." He then walks over to Spin, "Tell you what. Why don't we replay the song and I'll see what's got Chief so high on the boiling meter."

Spin sighs as he gets up. Queen's "I Was Born to Love You" starts to play as he once again goes through his dance routine. Half a minute into the song, he sees J cringing and huffs in frustration, throwing his arms down.

"Man! Not you too!" he complains. J furrows his eyebrows while bringing his hands up in defense.

"No offense," he said, "You've got the moves down. You were just off beat by a couple of seconds." Spin stares at him in overwhelming frustration.

"That's it! That's why that guy's been bustin' me up! Shoot, I really must suck!"

"Well, to be honest," J said, walking closer to Spin, "Your mom had the same problem. She was always a couple seconds off-beat. Your dad claims it's because she's slightly hard of hearing. And seein' you perform, I'm shooting a guess that you have her problem."

"So what can I do? If I don't get ready for that test in six days, I ain't never gonna follow in my parents' footsteps."

"Your solution is around your neck," J said, pointing to the large headphones around Spin's neck, "Your mom started using headphones to amplify the music she plays so that, when she gets out there, she's not having problems missing a beat. And if I remember correctly, those headphones you're carrying are an experiment she's conducting that specializes in using blue-tooth technology to download music from EBA Central to anywhere they might be." Spin takes his headphones off his neck and looks at them, "Try using them and see if they can help you perform better."

Spin hums in interest before slipping the headphones over his ears.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Movieland, Chris Silverscreen, a director wearing a navy blue hat with white visors, red shirt, tan vest and shorts, is sitting in his seat holding a megaphone to his mouth.

"And...action," he says rather flatly. Before him is a wooden background designed to look like a wedding chapel. Two people, a blonde haired woman in a wedding gown is running towards a brown haired man in a white tux.

"Baby!" the man shouts as he opens his arms.

"Darling!" the woman shouts as she leaps into his arms. The two hug a few seconds before hearing a creaking noise. Looking up, they see the chapel background tilt over and land on top of them, smashing a hole through the center. Chris yells in frustration, as he not only has to redo the scene, but also get the background fixed, which would cost him more than what he's already paid to shoot the film.

"Chris..." say a stern voice. Chris turns to see an orange haired man in a blue business suit standing behind him with an angry look on his face.

"Mr. Fanny..." he gulps.

"You either make a HUGE hit with this next movie, OR ELSE..." he says, his voice getting harsher.

"Or else...?" Chris asks, nervously.

"Or else, you're...FIRED!" Mr. Fanny snarls, taking his thumb and making a slit-throat motion across his neck.

Chris, devastated by the thought of his career crashing to the sound of such a word, rears his head up and screams at the top of his lungs.

_**HEEEEAAAALLLLP!**_

* * *

Chris' screaming mug is shown on the monitor of EBA's command room. Kahn turns and faces Chieftain, Morris and Derek, the only Agents who appeared when called. Chieftain has a black mug in his hand with stars front to back and half a cup of Joe steaming inside.

"Chris Silverscreen," Kahn explains, "Is in the midst of filming the movie 'Romancing Meowzilla'. However, production is slow and if he doesn't make a box-office hit, he's going to lose his only chance at stardom. I want you to get out there, cheer him on and make sure that movie is known nationwide."

"Will do, Commander!" Morris says excitedly.

"All part of the job, right?" Derek asked, rhetorically.

Chieftain just snorts and walks out of the room with his two back-ups following close behind.

* * *

In the dance floor, Spin is playing around with the headphones, trying to figure out how they work. When he heard Queen's "I Was Born to Love You" finally play, he blinks in shock at how well the song plays on the headphones versus having to hear it from the four speakers taking up the corners of the dance floor. Grinning with confidence, he begins performing to the beat of the song.

* * *

Chris hears the sound of rocket boosters nearing the scene and turns to find Chieftain, Morris and Derek hovering overhead. Chieftain reaches into his pocket and pulls out a wallet, presenting his "BA-1" license and badge.

"Agent Chieftain here," he shouts through the roaring of the rockets, "You continue your work. We'll handle everything else."

Chris was too panicky to show his appreciation and turns to the crew still preparing to retake the scene.

"JUST START ROLLING!" he shouts.

The agents dislodge from their rockets and land in a clearing away from the scene, gearing up for Sum 41's "Make No Difference".

_You're running fast and missing but cannot help convincing_

_The reasons you gave me are all wearing thin._

As the priest stood between the bride and groom, reciting vows, Chris sits in his seat, rubbing his chin in thought over what he can do to improve the performance. The groom then proudly throws in his speech, giving an amazing boost to both the scene and Chris' confidence.

_It's not meant to hurt you but let me assure you,_

_It's not what I said but intentions you've read._

"ACTION!" Chris yells into the megaphone.

On cue, the priest looks down at his bible.

"You may kiss the bride," He said.

Chris then sweeps his arms across, snapping his fingers as he did.

"And KISS!" he orders.

A beautiful scene unfolds as the bride and groom embrace into a sparkling and long kiss on the cheek.

"Good!" Mr. Fanny yells, throwing a thumbs-up with hearts in his eyes, "Keep up the good work!"

"Next scene, Chris!" the assistant director shouts as he points to the director's board with "CHASE SCENE" written across it.

_So when you hold onto the past then you_

_Will break down what little is left._

_Yeah, there's nothing more you can't ignore,_

_And say it makes no difference to me._

"ACTION!" Chris shouts. In a desert scene, the bride is being dragged away by a sinister villain with the groom chasing after him on a white horse. The car the villain is driving hits a bump in the road, sending it soaring through the air.

"JUMP!" Chris shouts again.

The horse leaps into the air, pulling the groom near the bride as both reach out to grab each others hands. The horse lands safely on the ground with both bride and groom holding each other tight.

"Good!" Mr. Fanny shouts, throwing a thumbs-up, "Keep up the good work!"

"Next scene, Chris!" the assistant director shouts again, pointing to the directors board that now had "Escape Scene" written across it.

_Now that you're older, life's weighing on your shoulders._

_You can't seem to keep things so perfectly straight._

_With most things so basic you might as well face it:_

_You can't help but worry it's all just begun_

_So when you hold onto the past then you_

_Will break down what little is left._

_Yeah, there's nothing more you can't ignore,_

_And say it makes no difference to me._

"ACTION!" Chris shouts. The next scene is a tunnel in which the bride and groom are trying to outrun a boulder of Indiana Jones proportions. Chris does another swing of the arm and snap of the fingers, shouting "GET AWAY" as he did.

"Hang on!" the groom shouts, leaping through the air when he reaches a large gap in the roof. The bride holds on tight as the groom flies over the boulder and lands safely on the ground.

"I see signs!" Mr. Fanny shouts as he throws another thumbs-up, his eyes turning into dollar symbols.

"Next scene, Chris!" the assistant director shouts a third time. The directors board now has "Meowzilla Scene" written across it.

_It makes no difference to me..._

_It makes no difference to me..._

_It makes no difference to me..._

_It makes no difference._

A replica of the city is built in the studio as a man in a giant cat costume is stomping around, trying to make a monstrous scene out of the shoot. In one hand he has a doll representing the bride, and the other is a piece of the building he tore off during the shoot.

"ACTION!" Chris shouts. He points to a crane carrying a replica of Meowzilla's giant foot, "Lift the paw!"

The crane began lifting the large foot up towards the reel. Chris observes the distance before swinging his hand across and snapping his fingers again.

"DROP IT!" he shouts. The brakes holding the crane are released, causing the giant leg to come flying down towards part of the replicated city that had been destroyed during Meowzilla's rampage, leading to a perfectly executed smash of some buildings.

Once again, Mr. Fanny jumps up, throwing another thumbs-up in amazement at how well the movie production is progressing.

"Next scene, Chris!" the assistant director shouts, pointing to the board as it shows "Last Scene".

_So when you hold onto the past then you_

_Will break down what little is left._

_Yeah, there's nothing more you can't ignore,_

_And say it makes no difference to me._

The final scene, showing the bride and groom holding hands in front of a sunset background, came off rocky at first with the groom forgetting most of his lines, but once reminded, he began telling the bride his feelings and devotion to keep her safe.

_It makes no difference..._

_It makes no difference to me._

_It makes no difference..._

_It makes no difference to me._

The debut of "Romancing Meowzilla" arrives and, to everyone at the company's astonishment, it becomes a huge success. Chris Silverscreen, one of the actresses from the movie, and Meowzilla himself walk the red carpet, waving to everyone who greets them with excitement and joy.

"Thank you for your support!" Chris shouts through the noise of screaming fans and newscasters.

* * *

Back in EBA Central, the song Spin listened to comes to an end, causing him to finish with a perfect freeze. Diablo and Lava, who had been sitting side by side with J, both began barking simultaneously as their way of applauding Spin's performance.

"You're wonderful!" Diablo yips.

"Sensational!" Lava howls.

"Wow, you really think so?" Spin asks.

"Can't say I disagree with them," J said, walking over to Spin, "May need a little more practice on your performance though, but other than that, you're doin' good. I have no doubts you'll make a fine agent."

"He-ay! Thanks, J," Spin said, throwing his arm around J's shoulders and rubbing them, "That's about the best compliment I got so far."

"Don't worry, kid," J said, "I'm sure once you get into the business of dancing and cheering, everyone else will warm up to you."

"Do it again!" Diablo barks.

"Yeah! Encore! Encore!" Lava barks.

"Now how can I say no to a couple of yappers like you?" Spin said playfully, taking his arm off J and moving to the center of the dance floor, "A'right y'all! Here I go again!"

J returns to the company of his two dogs as Spin replays the same song he had been listening to since this morning.

End Notes:

1. The hidden tunnel in the garage of a Manhattan ghost town is something I made up since EBA has to find a way to get to their targets without revealing the location of their base.

2. The Em-o-meter, is just some made up name for how EBA's computer can pinpoint and record a person's feelings before deciding if they needed help.

3. I exaggerated a bit when I included Chieftain being in a foul mood when he doesn't have his coffee.

4. The wireless headphones is just another exaggerated idea I threw in since you hardly see any wires sticking out of the headphones Spin used to dance with.


	4. Episode 4: Sneaking Out

Episode 4: Sneaking Out

Two days into his training, Spin slowly began to improve on his talents. Everyone who saw him, including Chieftain, who once badgered him for frivolously messing up his performance, couldn't help but feel amazed at how well he's progressed since he first showed up. With the assessment test only five days away, it was a sure fire bet that Spin would be able to pass it and certify himself as a good willed Agent.

* * *

Late that afternoon, Spin wanders around EBA Central, having grown bored of dancing the same song to his reflection over and over again. He wanted to do something fun for a change. While he was thinking, he bumped into Morris and Derek, who were too busy talking to each other to watch their step.

"Whoa!" Morris yelps as both he and Spin stumble back a bit, "Hey, Spin. Got tired of practicin'?"

"Yeah man," Spin said with a shrug, "It's no fun havin' to dance to yourself all day. Don't you have anythin' that'd help a brother blend into this whole EBA experience?"

Morris and Derek look at each other in contemplation. Morris then looks back to Spin.

"I think we have a solution to your problem," he said, "Come with us."

The two Agents escort Spin down the hall until they reach a pair of doors disturbingly similar to that of Star Trek's holodeck doors.

"Here's the real game," Derek said as he and Morris turn to face Spin, "They had this simulation room installed a year ago."

"The Commander built it as a way to get the newbies' feet wet," Morris continues, "But most of us use it to fool around in when we're bored."

"Cool!" Spin pipes up with excitement, "How do you work it?"

The two were about to explain when the alarms suddenly go off. Morris sighs and looks back to Spin.

"We'll have to explain later," he said, "Seems we have ourselves another mission."

"Aw, c'mon!" Spin whines, "Don't you guys have a manual I could read?"

"There is," Derek said with a shrug, "But it's cluttered in the library downstairs. It'd take you days to find it. Just find something to do until we get back, alright."

Spin sighs with disappointment as he watches the two head off towards the command room, then turns around and skulks off in the opposite direction. He eventually finds himself in the garage where every vehicle known to man sits, waiting to be driven. There, he finds the Divas near a motorbike with two sidecars, chatting amongst themselves rather irritably.

Curious, Spin moves closer to hear what was getting them so riled up.

"Oh! I wanted to go to Japan so badly it's killin' me!" Missy whines, "Why couldn't J just leave this to Chieftain and take us!"

"Wouldn't do his reputation any good," Foxx said, "You know him. Always put duty before pleasure." Starr sighs, but then smiles slyly.

"You know girls," she says, eyeing them both, "No one said we have to wait for J to come back and take us." It took the girls a couple of minutes before the idea dawned on them.

"That's right!" Missy pipes up, "We can go to Japan ourselves!"

"But how?" Foxx asks with a shrug, "We can't use any of these vehicles unless it was an emergency."

"Who said we HAVE to take these vehicles?" Starr asks, turning her eyes to the red, hood adjusting convertible.

"But...but that's Twist and Twirl's car!" Missy yelps, "We can't take that!"

"Missy's right," Foxx said, "It's their most treasured vehicle. If Command Kahn catches us driving it, he'll have our hide!"

"Then we'll find someone who knows how to take proper care of their ride," Starr said confidently.

Spin cringes slightly, knowing that if the Divas saw him, he'd be forced to do something that could get him into trouble. He quickly turns around and attempts to sneak off.

"FREEZE!" shout three voices in unison. Spin stops with a flinch and an audible "urk" as the Divas crowd around him, looking pleading.

"You think you can get away from us?" Starr asks, placing her elbow on Spin's shoulder and leaning against him.

"You ARE Twist and Twirl's son, so you know how valuable their stuff is to them!" Foxx says, placing her finger below Spin's chin and pushing it up, "Which makes you candidate for chauffeur."

"As much as I'd love to go to Japan, girls," Spin mutters, "I really don't think..."

"Then you'll have no problems driving us," Missy pipes up, "C'mon! It'll be fun!"

Spin opens his mouth again, but the Divas gave him sad puppy eyes so cute, it'd make Hello Kitty look like a monster. Sighing in defeat, he scratches the back of his neck.

"Alright," he mutters, "Where're the keys..."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the streets of New York, a wild taxi is driving around the streets, terrorizing everyone both outside and inside the vehicle. Jack, the taxi driver with a speeding problem, touches down at an office with plenty of time to spare. Too bad his passenger had passed out from the amount of speed it took to get there.

"AWWWWWW MAN! I DID IT AGAIN!" he cries in shock when he turns to ask the passenger for his fee.

To make matters worse...

"Jack!" said a voice. Jack turns to see Poncho, the cop, standing near his window with a smirk on his face, "You were doin' 40 over the limit, son." He frowns as Jack gets out of the car to listen in more, "I'll let you off this time. But I'm gonna take away your license..." he finishes by pointing at Jack in a dramatic manner, "FOREVER!"

Jack panics over the thought of not only losing his job, but winding up in jail for speeding over the limit. Trying to keep the warning in check, he gets back into his taxi and fires up the engine.

"I just lose it when I press the meter," he mutters to himself before sighing, "Well, night shift's over. Time for bed."

Before he could drive off, he hears the passenger side door slam shut.

"Drive!" groans a painstaking voice. Jack turns around to find a pregnant woman sitting in the passenger seat, grabbing her massively bloated belly.

"To the hospital! NOW!" she screams. Jack freaks out.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he cries.

"Just shut up and DRIVE!" Linda, the pregnant woman howls.

"But if I drive too fast, I'll lose my license," Jack squeaks. Linda was in too much pain to listen and sprawls out across the backseat, screaming in agony.

"IT'S COMING!" she hollers again. Jack freaks out some more, not just out of fear of his license being revoked, but also because he didn't want to turn in a messy car and risk having to pay for the damage. Having no other choice, he reaches for the meter button while fretting over what horrible outcome would come first. But when his anxiety began messing with his ability to even touch the surface of the button, he rears his head up and screams at the top of his lungs.

_**HEEEEAAAALLLLP!**_

In a split second, a black convertible pulls up to the side of the taxi. Sitting in the front seat is J with Morris and Derek sitting in the back. J didn't seem too happy when he saw Jack sitting in the driver's seat.

"Oh, it's you again," he said, "Let me guess, it was out of instincts?"

"N...no! I'm serious this time!" Jack cries, "I got a pregnant woman in the backseat who needs to get to the hospital! But I don't wanna drive too fast, or I'll lose my job!" J cocks his lips to one side in contemplation.

"ARE YOU GOING TO SIT THERE ALL DAY OR ARE YOU GOUNG TO DRIVE?" Linda yells from the backseat. Jack panics and looks over to her a second before turning his attention back to J.

"P-please, Mr. Agent, sir! You gotta help me!" he wails, "I don't wanna go to jail!" J looks to his two back-ups, who's only response was a shrug of their shoulders. Sighing, he looks back over to Jack.

"Right then... You know the routine. Just start driving and we'll see what we can do."

Jack whimpers as he pulls his head back into the car and hits the button on his meter, "OK! H-Here goes... BLAST OFF!"

Once the numbers start rolling in, the timid man drives off at rocket speed. Poncho, who was getting ready to leave, catches sight of the taxi, curses under his breath and speeds off after it, completely oblivious to the reason why. Meanwhile, the Agents stay in the distance, putting the convertible on auto navigation as they move to the front hood of their car and begin groovin' to Avril Lavigne's "Sk8ter Boi".

_He was a boy, she was a girl,_

_Can I make it anymore obvious?_

_He was a punk, she did ballet,_

_What more can I say?_

Jack catches sight of Poncho and panics again. He tries to slow down, but the thought of Linda's labor-pains quickly made him think twice. Flooring the gas pedal, the taxi blazes through the street so fast, it practically burst into flames. In an instant, his timid personality vanishes as his speed demon persona takes over.

_He wanted her, but she'd never tell:_

_Secretly she wanted him as well._

_But all of her friends stuck up their nose;_

_They had a problem with his baggy clothes._

Jack took a shortcut through the park, coming across a wide lake several seconds later.

"We're gonna have to jump it!" he yells, keeping his foot flat on the gas pedal.

Poncho comes to a halt as he sees the taxi fly off the bank and speed through the water as though it were a motorboat.

"Hey, is your name James?" Linda asks, more pumped with adrenaline than pain or the fear of Jack's daredevil driving.

"No, Ma'am! I'm Jack," he said in an insane but calm tone.

Leaving the park, Jack continues to drive through the streets until he sees a subway several blocks away, "Time for a little shortcut!" he yells as he drives the taxi down the stairs, startling everyone that nearly got in its way.

_He was a sk8er boi;_

_She said, "See ya later, boi!"_

_He wasn't good enough for her._

_She had a pretty face,_

_But her head was up in space;_

_She needed to come back down to Earth._

_He was a sk8er boi;_

_She said, "See ya later, boi!"_

_He wasn't good enough for her._

_She had a pretty face,_

_But her head was up in space;_

_She needed to come back down to Earth._

Most of the subway was crowded with people trying to get on the train to the next town. Jack annoyingly began honking his horn, but barely got a few glances, some with raised eyebrows. Grunting in frustration, he backs the taxi up and hits the gas pedal again, causing it to rocket towards the crowd while bursting into flames again.

Startled, the people waiting on the subway scrambled out of the way, allowing the taxi to pass as it careened through the underground passage way at speeds so fast, it leveled with the front of the train, whose driver could only stare at it in shock and astonishment.

_Five years from now, she sits at home,_

_Feeding a baby, she's all alone._

_She turns on T.V., guess who she sees - _

_Sk8er boi rocking on MTV!_

Jack sees the stairs just up ahead as people scrambled to get out of his way.

"Hold onto your seats!" he yells as he continues to speed through the subway. The taxi flies out of the subway opening, landing on the streets with a screech and a turn before safely continuing onward.

"Nice moves, driver!" Linda says with a thumbs-up.

"We have touchdown!" Jack yells with enthusiasm, which quickly fades as Poncho catches up to him with more than just his motorbike aiding his chase.

"You're booked!" Poncho yells.

"Catch me if you can!" Jack yells back, challengingly.

_She calls up her friends; they already know,_

_And they've all got tickets to his show._

_She tags along and stands in the crowd,_

_Looks up at the man that she turned down._

Jack didn't seem fazed by the amount of squad cars driving around him and continues to speed through the streets. Unfortunately, it didn't take long before they began piling up around him, forcing him to slow down as he didn't have enough galls to try and plow through them.

_He was a sk8er boi;_

_She said, "See ya later, boi!"_

_He wasn't good enough for her._

_Now he's a superstar,_

_Jamming on his guitar -_

_Did your pretty face see what he's worth?_

_He was a sk8er boi;_

_She said, "See ya later, boi!"_

_He wasn't good enough for her._

_Now he's a superstar,_

_Jamming on his guitar -_

_Did your pretty face see what he's worth?_

One of the motorbike-driving cops pulled up to Poncho.

"She's in labor, sir!" he shouts, "He's taking her to the hospital!"

"What!" Poncho yelps, coming to the realization as to why Jack sped off in the first place. He immediately pulls to the front of the pile and throws his finger into the air, "CLEAR A PATH, YOU GOOF-OFFS!" he screams.

The squad cars immediately pulled out, allowing Jack to continue onward, cop-free.

"What a nice bunch!" Linda says.

"I owe you one, guys!" Jack yells in relief.

Several seconds later, Jack decides to take another shortcut and speeds off towards a skyscraper, "OUTTA MY WAY!"

_Sorry, girl, but you missed out._

_Well, tough luck, that boy's mine now!_

_We are more than just good friends;_

_This is how the story ends._

Jack battles gravity as he tries to scale the window patterned walls of the skyscraper. To make matters worse, people who saw the taxi coming towards them panicked and began throwing stuff at it in an attempt to knock it down. Fed up, Jack floors the gas pedal, causing the taxi to speed up drastically, not only forcing the people to stop throwing things at him, but also managing to break through gravity's grip.

_I'm with the sk8er boi;_

_I said, "See ya later, boi - _

_I'll be backstage after the show!"_

_I'll be at the studio_

_Singing the song we wrote_

_About a girl he used to know._

_I'm with the sk8er boi;_

_I said, "See ya later, boi - _

_I'll be backstage after the show!"_

_I'll be at the studio_

_Singing the song we wrote_

_About a girl he used to know._

Jack flies off the skyscraper, catching sight of the hospital just yards from where he is. Jerking the steering wheel in one direction, he manages to pull the taxi to its side as it lands safely near the emergency room, startling a couple of people as it did.

"Good luck, Ma'am!" Jack yells.

"Thanks, honey! See ya!" Linda says as she climbs out and rushes into the emergency room.

Jack turns his attention back to the meter and presses the button again, causing him to return to his timid senses as he, once again, comes to the realization of his misfortune.

"O-Oh n-noooooooooooo! I did it again!" he cries, seeming oblivious to the amount of help he's been getting from both the Agents and the cops. He quickly recovers and starts driving down the street at a moderate speed.

"TAXI!" yells a voice. Jack sees another business man waving him down and pulls up towards him.

"H-Hop in!" Jack stutters.

The man jumps in and slams the door, "The station! And step on it!"

Jack hits the meter button and regains his daredevil composure.

"RIGHT AWAY, SIR!" he yells as the taxi speeds off into the sunset.

* * *

J pulls into the garage, noticing Chieftain leaning against the wall near the doorway leading to EBA Central, muffling some obscenities.

"Uh oh," J says jokingly, "Looks like someone's blown his fuse."

"I'll say my fuse is blown!" Chieftain growls, pushing off the wall and marching towards J, "What's the idea of leaving that kid unattended? Thanks to you, he and the Divas've taken Twist and Twirls car and drove off to god knows where!"

"Whoa, what's with the attitude, Chief?" Morris asks with a shrug, "Weren't you the one who would take every opportunity to see various parts of the world?"

"I USED to!" Chieftain mutters, "But with the two 'T's currently MIA, I'm not going to take any chances letting a trainee go joy ridin' on the eastside and total their most important vehicle!"

"Relax, Chieftain," J said with a wave of his hand, "The Divas aren't so insane that they wouldn't let Spin drive off without telling him who the car belonged to. If he cherishes Twist's shades and Twirl's headphones, he'll know to take extra care of their car."

"I still don't trust him goin' out like some rabbit that's been brought home for the first time," Chieftain grumbles, "There's no tellin' who could be lurking around waitin' until they're gone to shanghai their ride."

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Spin and the Divas drove through the streets of Tokyo, glancing around at all the shops that were opening for business, as well as getting a glance at the many old and futuristic appearances of the small Island.

"Wow..." Missy gasps, "It's like they're bringing the past and future together!"

"Let's park and wander around!" Starr insists, "I'm sure we'll find something that'll make great souvenirs when we get home!"

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Spin asks, still nervous, "Not that I'd mind the tourist attractions. But I don't wanna just leave my parents' car unattended."

"What are you, a worry wart!" Starr giggles, "When was the last time someone wanted something this cheesy and old!"

Spin frowns in annoyance, "A'ight. I don't know whether I should agree with you or defend my parent's belongings..."

He reluctantly pulls into an empty spot near a parking meter. The Divas quickly hop out and began throwing in yen until the needle nearly broke from the amount of hours they were trying to clock up.

"Hey, are you sure we'll be back by mid-night, Western Standard Time?" Spin asks as he locks all four of the doors, "Also, you do realize that two hours ain't gonna be enough to satisfy a half day tour."

"So? We'll just come back and refill the meter," Foxx said, grabbing Spin's arm, "Come on. Why can't you learn to live a little like you always do?"

"Yeah!" Missy pipes up, throwing her hands onto Spin's back and pushing him along the sidewalk, "I hate seein' you act like some nervous little boy who thinks he's gonna get lickin' for his disobedience." Spin decides not to protest any further and allows the Divas to push him down the sidewalk.

As they were passing by a fruit market, Spin felt something in his heart as though it were burning with rhythmic energy. He instinctively looks towards the entrance of the fruit market, catching sight of a man, with reddish brown, spiky hair and topknot, wearing a red bandana, a black, gaku-ran uniform, ribbons around his shoulders, and white gloves, eye him while tossing some fruit into a basket hanging off his arm. Spin cocks an eyebrow, wondering if this guy was another Agent that he has yet to meet.

"Hey, Spin. Are you feeling alright?" Missy asked. Spin blinks, looking at the Divas to find they had stopped pushing him and were now staring at him in curiosity.

"Uh..." Spin stammers before looking back to the market entrance to find the man no longer where he should be. He looks back to the Divas, raising his hands up in defense, "Everything...everything's peachy keen!" he then stands straight and plants his hands on his sides, "Well, seein' as I can't talk you girls outta this, what's say we go look for somethin' to do to pass the time?"

"Yay! That's the Spin we know!" Missy roots as they march off down the sidewalk with Spin following close behind.

* * *

The spiky haired man returns to a traditional-looking dojo several miles from the city. He throws the sliding doors open, stepping inside.

"**FRONT AND CENTER EVERYONE!**" he shouts as he kicks his shoes off and heads down the hall. He stops by one of the doors along the way and slides it open, revealing a gruff-looking man, with black hair and an eye patch on his right eye, wearing the same uniform as him, minus the ribbons and armband, sitting in the middle of a room with bookshelves making up the four walls. He is reading an English version of "Of Mice and Men".

"**Saito,**" the man said, grabbing his one-eyed companion's attention.

The spiky haired man moves to the next room with Saito following right beside him, finding another gruff-looking man with the same uniform, but bares a Mohawk and signs of a beard growing on his chin. He seems to be in a meditative state, sitting Indian style with his arms resting on his knees.

"**Suzuki,**" he said, getting the man's attention as he opens one eye.

The trio head into the kitchen where an adolescent with a buzz-cut, wearing glasses and the same uniform as the spiky haired man, is washing vegetables while boiling water on a stove; his white gloves draped over the head of the faucet to avoid getting wet.

"**Hajime,**" the man said again, grabbing the adolescent's attention as he looks up from the sink. Heading towards the living room, the spiky haired man looks around the hallway, "**Where're the girls?**"

"**They haven't returned since the start of the Spring Matsuri,**" said a gruff voice. The man looks inside the living room, finding a taller, more muscular man sitting on the futon adjacent to the TV on the far wall, wearing a slightly tattered, but identical uniform, and holding onto a mug steaming with hot, green tea.

The man sighs before heading into the living room, "**No matter. They'll know our plan soon enough.**"

"**I'm guessing you felt it too, Ryuta?**" Hajime asked while slipping his gloves on.

"**Four spirits burning with jive energy,**" Ryuta said, crossing his arms and closing his eyes, "**It's been two years since we last felt something that strong.**"

"**One of those jiving spirits is 15 percent lower than the other three,**" the tall man said, taking a sip from his mug, "**Yet he carries the fond memories of the ones we encountered that long ago. Could he be the son that they were talking about?**"

"**There's no doubt, it's him,**" Ryuta said, looking over to the man, "**Those Agents finally managed to pry him from the grip of his biased Uncle. But his progression isn't improving any faster. He'll be creamed by the time that test comes.**"

"**So what can we do?**" Suzuki asks. Ryuta sighs and looks down.

"**We may have to intervene, separate him from the rest of the agency until his performance improves.**"

"**Separate him!**" Hajime exclaims, "**But what about our goal! If we get involved without proper explanations, we'll never be able to form an alliance with them.**"

"**Helping someone involved in the agency is as important as trying to gain their trust altogether,**" Ryuta said, "**We may end up going down the wrong stream with the decisions we're making right now, but there are other paths we can take to bring us back on course with our goal. We'll just have to work harder to reach those paths.**"

The tall man sighs and lowers his mug.

"**What is your plan, Ryuta?**" he asked.

End Notes:

1. The bold text indicates that the Ouendan are speaking Japanese.

2. The original fanfic was supposed to take place eight months after the first Ouendan game. However, after doing some reading in Wikipedia (which could change depending on deeper research), I decided to extend the timeline two years to try and fit in with the sequal that had just come out.


	5. Episode 5: Consequential Strike

Episode 5: Consequential Strike of Reality

Spin leans against the walls outside a clothing store down the street; his arms and legs crossed as he waits impatiently for the Divas to finish their "souvenir shopping". They had been inside for nearly an hour, trying on different kimonos and other foreign clothing, all the while eating up what little time they had left to tour the rest of Japan.

While rhythmically tapping his foot to the beat of 2-Pac's "Til the End of Time" playing in his headphones, Spin notices two kids run past him and into a large building down the block. Curious, he heads towards the building, seeing it sprinkled with lively colors and various video game sprites. Over the top of the entrance is the word "ARCADE".

"Ooooh," Spin whistles with astonishment, "I forgot how big gaming is in Japan." He then looks over to the clothing store, "I don't think they'd mind me hangin' out here until they're done with their 'girly thangs'. Better than sittin' outside, twiddlin' my thumbs."

Spin walks inside the arcade, becoming even more amazed at how large the interior was. Almost every video game he can remember were all inside, being played by other visitors. However, one in particular caught his attention. At the far end of the room is a giant screen showing, what looked like, Meowzilla battling a giant blue rat; and losing horribly. The sound of J-Pop blared through the arcade, seeming to indicate it was some kind of dancing game similar to that of "Dance Dance Revolution".

Curious, Spin walks towards the screen, finding a crowd standing in front of a stage with two occupants, a human-size rat similar to that shown on the screen, and a moderate looking person in a t-shirt and pants. Both had some kind of rings strapped to their chest, elbows, wrists, knees, and ankles. They appear to be some kind of device that reads a person's movements and records them to the monitor to show how well the performance is.

The rat was busting moves which, while not perfect in Spin's case, were outmatching its unfortunate opponent who slowly began to tire out from the amount of strain he was putting on his muscles. By the time the song ended, the boy had collapsed from exhaustion; his two friends running onto the stage to pull him off.

"**WINNER!! WINNER!!**" a chibi, holographic, long eared dog yips as he runs around the stage, banging his drums, "**Another victory for Daai-Rat! Will anyone be able to beat him!?**" Daai-Rat, brimming with cynical confidence, began laughing at his victory.

"**What a load of chumps!**" he squeaked, "**I got bored just looking at them!**" he then looks out at the crowd, "**Come on, losers! I haven't got all day! Who wants to try and beat me next!?**"

Most of the crowd cringe and back away, not wanting to end up like the last three victims who jumped onstage to take up the challenge. Spin, on the other hand, just scoffs at Daai-Rat's boisterous confidence, "Shoot. That...thing atta be taught a lesson about manners."

Without wasting a moment, Spin climbs onto the stage, picking up the device that was pulled off the last person, and sticking it on him. Daai-Rat leers at him with amusement.

"**Well, well,**" he snickers, "**Nii-chan was right. Humans really are like lambs in a slaughter house.**"

"**Dude, I'd watch that pointy little tongue, if I were you,**" Spin said, pointing at Daai-Rat, who laughs again.

"**Well, look at this! An American who can speak perfect Japanese! You must've had a boring life before you came here!**" Spin fought the urge to want to punch Daai-Rat in the face for that remark, but decides to just focus on crushing his cynical pride.

"**Alright! We got ourselves another challenger!**" the dog hologram howls, "**Let's see how well he'll fair against our reining champion!**"

Spin began flexing his joints as a new J-Pop song cues up on the large speakers.

_ii ne kaisei jan kumo hitotsu nai yo_

_makka na taiyou kimi wo shiritai yo_

_ato wa ore nado shidai kyou wa dakishimetai_

_namiuchigiwa no atsui ketsui_

_koushien kyuu ji sanagara no toushi_

_demo daritsu wa kyuu rin ore no jon ni SORRY_

_masa ni katari itsugareru sutoorii_

_hitori de asobu no wa konya de owari?_

Spin whistles in amazement at how the song was being played, "Now that's what I'm talkin' about! Let's get started then!" when the moment to start dancing soon arrived, he busts out in his best moves.

_shanhai hanii to hamabe shakou dansu_

_mitsumeppa nashi tamannee megami_

_shanhai hanii to eijian randevuu_

_yosete wa kaesu shitagokoro to moraru_

_boku kimi no koto yoku shiranai keredo nanka tokimeitemasu_

Spin watches as his character, a brown pit bull terrier monster, reaches behind him and pulls out a block of cheese. The blue rat monster drools at the sight, which caused him to get distracted, allowing the pit bull to land a blow to his face.

_Yo takumi na wajutsu kanojo wo honrou_

_bosei honnou kusuguru tooku_

_kore ga ore no risou zou_

_demo risou wa risou mata "yasashisou" de owarisou_

_iya iya konya koso wa getto_

_seishi wo kaketa masa ni kettou!_

_ima ga shun ore tachi no seishun_

_"shimatte ikou!!" kiai juubun_

Daai-Rat looks at the monitor in horrified shock.

"**Wha...!? But how!?**" he squealed. He then looks at the meter recording the level of performance, finding his barely flashing on the board while Spin's is almost through the roof. Growling in frustration, he tries to take his lousy dancing to the next step.

_shanhai hanii to hamabe shakou dansu_

_mitsumeppa nashi tamannee megami_

_shanhai hanii to eijian randevuu_

_yosete wa kaesu shitagokoro to moraru_

_nanka junai ja nai? nante ne_

_sokka sorya muri da yo na._

_datte sou boku kimi no koto_

_yoku shiranai keredo nanka tokimeitemasu_

The blue rat on the screen tries to tempt the pit bull with a bone. He reacts by lifting his paws and begging, but quickly regains his senses and throws another punch at it.

Daai-Rat's growling increased upon seeing his attempts suddenly nosedive at Spin's glamorous performance. The trainee can sense his prideful spirit slowly become overwhelmed with anger, but decides not to make a big deal out of it and focuses on the rest of the game, completely oblivious to some new arrivals in black, gaku-ran uniforms standing at the front of the stage, three of them wearing ribbons around their shoulders and an armband with a star-like symbol and the kanji for "cheer" along the center.

_shanhai hanii to hamabe shakou dansu_

_mitsumeppa nashi tamannee megami_

_shanhai hanii to eijian randevuu_

_yosete wa kaesu shitagokoro to moraru_

_nanka junai ja nai? ja nai ka mo ne_

_sokka sorya sou da yo na._

_datte sou boku kimi no koto_

_yoku shiranai keredo nanka tokimeitemasu_

As the song nears the end, the pit bull and the rat rush at each other, slamming their hands together while struggling to push one another to the ground. The pit bull howls as it pulls the rat into the air and slams its hind legs into its midsection, sending it flying into space. Daai-Rat shook with anger while Spin finishes with a stylish pose.

"**WOW!! What a sudden turn of events!**" the holographic dog howls, "**A challenger from another country has beat back out reining champion and showed us all what true dancing is all about!**"

Daai-Rat squeals in anger, causing Spin to flinch as he glares at him in hatred.

"**You meanie!**" he whines, "**I'm telling Nii-chan!**" with that, he turns and storms offstage, throwing the rings off as he did.

"Well," Spin scoffs, planting his fists on his side, "What a spoiled little rodent. He should learn to take his loss like a man and deal with it."

The men in black look to each other before one of them, the tall, muscular man from the dojo, climbs onto the stage. Spin blinks when the man appears in front of him, establishing his size as being a shoulder over the trainee, if not more with the aide of his wooden geta sandals. He wasn't fazed by the size of the man as much as he was surprised at his high level of jiving spirit, which makes him almost equal to Chieftain's level of spirit.

The holographic dog stares in shock at the man's appearance.

"**Oh wow... Is that...?**"he points at the man,"**Ladies and dogs! We have an actual Ouendan challenging the new champion!**"

"Ouendan?" Spin mutters to himself, "Why's it sound so familiar...?"

The Ouendan continues to study him before moving to the other end of the stage, picking up the rings that Daai-Rat had thrown off in his fit of anger. Spin crosses his arms as he watches the man clamp the rings on, then turns to face him.

"Young Agent," he said, catching Spin by surprise, not because of his knowledge of the English-language, but how he knew who he was, "Your spirit is strong, yet you remain humble to your opponent even after what he has done to those before him."

"Scuse me?" Spin mutters in confusion.

"You know I speak the truth, Young Agent." Spin cocks his head to one side, "You may have been able to hide your feelings physically, but deep inside, you tell a different story."

Spin huffs before bringing one arm up to shrug while placing the other back on his side, grinning cockily, "Well then, Mr. Ouendan, sir. If the soul reason you're up here is to challenge me, you may as well've done somethin' else to kill your time."

"Then you are willing to accept a deal?" the Ouendan asks, gaining a raised eyebrow from Spin.

"What kind of deal?"

"If you lose, you will be training under us for the duration of the week."

Spin looks out to the crowd, noticing the rest of the Ouendan, one of whom, Ryuta, he remembers from earlier. The rest, Hajime, Saito and Suzuki, he hardly recognized, but figures they were part of his entourage.

"And if I win?" Spin asks, looking back at the Ouendan challenging him.

"That will be up to you."

Spin stifles a laugh, "I can't believe y'all actually serious about this. I was trained by the best buddies on the planet. No way am I gonna lose to someone who shows up outta nowhere and challenges me, thinkin' he's gonna take me down that easily." He then crosses his arms, "Are you even gonna disclose your name, or should I keep callin' ya Mr. Ouendan 'til I win this dig?"

"The name is Kai Doumeki," the Ouendan said, "And if you can tell how serious we are, then you will know that I have no intentions of losing."

The holographic dog looks between the two, sweatdropping in confusion.

"**Oh my...**" he mutters, "**It seems these two are talking in a different language. I hope some of you understand that, because I have not been programmed to translate.**"

"**We will play a different stage,**" Kai finally spoke in his original language. The dog's ears perk up as he jogs in place, hitting his drums in excitement.

"**There you have it, folks! The challenge has been accepted and the round is about to begin!**"

Spin scoffs as he flexes his arms and legs again to prepare for another playoff. The Ouendan simply crosses his arms and waits for the song to reach the chorus of which is the starting point of their interaction.

_enjoy ongaku wa nari tsuzukeru_

_it's join todoketai mune no kodou_

_kokoro odoru ankooru wakasu dance dance_

_dance(ready go!)_

_ima gooingu gooruin yori_

_tobi koshi oto ni nori oyogi tsuzukeru_

_enjoy(enjoy) it's join(it's join)_

_koou suru kokoro hibiki tsuzukeru_

As Spin was doing his own style of dancing, he noticed Kai throwing his hands around like some kind of crossing guard while stomping the floor and throwing punches into thin air. He raised an eyebrow in curiosity as he continues his performance.

_notteki na teki kotoba ga dete kita koko wa kokoro odoru tokoro da kara_

_oite kanai yo oi tsukitai nara_

_get up stand up iku shika nee_

_tsukanee yappa kizuita n da_

_100 shiawase no ishihyouji narase clap clap_

_nakama doushi yodooshi tsume konda_

_appaa na tenshon no shichueeshon_

Spin looks up at the monitor again. This time, instead of some cheesy monster brawl, his pit bull character is a float racer at a local Matsuri festival, trying to outrun Kai's character, a black bear with a cross-shaped scar. The bear blows steam from its nostrils as it plows ahead, knocking the pit bull, the float and other dogs carrying it to one side.

_have a dreamin' guriidingu_

_kono ba no kuuki chuushin saakuru tsunagaru bugii_

_furiikii kibarazu koko no minna to sono kachi aru kara_

_swing swing sing a song_

_kimajime hazukashigari demo dekiru_

_imajineeshon nozomu tokoro da_

_cha no aida toko no aida tokoro kamawazu botan hitotsu de odoru kokoro ga_

"Whoa!" Spin yells in shock, "What the...!?" looking to the meters, he finds that, while his measurement of performance is only half way on the board, Kai's is practically shooting through the roof. Spin cringes a bit as he looks over to the Ouendan who just stares back at him with little to no emotions whatsoever, "How could he out-rock me with moves like that!?"

Shaking his head, Spin takes a deep breath and starts off his next performance.

_enjoy ongaku wa nari tsuzukeru_

_it's join todoketai mune no kodou_

_kokoro odoru ankooru wakasu dance dance_

_dance(ready go!)_

_ima gooingu gooruin yori_

_tobi koshi oto ni nori oyogi tsuzukeru_

_enjoy(enjoy) it's join(it's join)_

_koou suru kokoro hibiki tsuzukeru_

The pit bull shoulders the bear, both going into a show of strength which quickly ends when the bear shoves it into a nearby ramen stand. Spin's horrified astonishment increases, looking over to Kai again, who continues to give him barely any sign of emotion both physically and spiritually.

The trainee's eyebrow begins to twitch out of hesitation, knowing that if he lost he won't be able to go back to EBA Central for the rest of the week, which could shatter his chance of getting into the agency. But for some reason, Spin could sense their reasons for challenging him have nothing to do with tearing him out of EBA's grasp. He quickly shakes his head as the next verse cues up and another performance goes underway.

_gureetofuru egaku sukeeru wa dekaku_

_tanoshii mon da eraku derakkusu_

_nerau hima nanka tanjun ni kantan azukete kaunto daun 3-2-1_

_nari furi kamawazu muchuu de kake nukero iki maite it's like this_

_sara ni fukai kandou e mooretsu oh yes kokoro odoru kyou e_

The pit bull manages to get ahead of the bear, using its quick speed to continue onward. The bear blows steam from its nostrils again, lifting on leg and slamming into the ground, causing a shockwave to knock the pit bull and its entourage into the air high enough for the opposing entourage to quickly march through.

_enjoy ongaku wa nari tsuzukeru_

_it's join todoketai mune no kodou_

_kokoro odoru ankooru wakasu dance dance_

_dance(ready go!)_

_ima gooingu gooruin yori_

_tobi koshi oto ni nori oyogi tsuzukeru_

_enjoy(enjoy) it's join(it's join)_

_koou suru kokoro hibiki tsuzukeru_

The two animals were neck and neck as they near the finish line. The bear glares over at the pit bull before veering the float towards it and, once again, ramming it and the rest of the dog entourage out of the way, allowing the bear to break through the goal line and win the Matsuri competition.

Spin looks on in shock at his sudden loss. Not once had he been able to out-perform Kai's aggressive movements. The trainee collapses to his knees with a look of astonished horror before noticing Kai walking towards him with the same stern look on his face.

"Woo!" Spin sighs as he gets up and stretches, "You beat me good! I ain't never seen that kind of move before, but damn! That shows how little I know about dance styles!"

"I hope you brought sturdier clothes," Kai said, barely acknowledging Spin's complements, "The ones you are wearing will not last long in the training we will give you."

Spin stifles a nervous laugh, "Yeah...well... It was only supposed to be for one day, so we weren't that prepared." Kai only frowns as he walks past Spin and heads offstage. The trainee sighs and reluctantly follows after, the rest of the Ouendan soon joining them.

* * *

The Divas giggled as they left the store with several bags hanging off their arms.

"That was fun!" Missy pipes up.

"Yeah! Let's see what else there is to do here!" Foxx says excitedly.

"We have to find Spin first," Star said, "Last I saw he wandered off to that arcade down the street. We better go pick him up before it's..."

"TOO LATE!!" Missy shrieks, throwing a finger towards the other side of the street. The other two Divas follow her gaze, catching sight of Spin walking along the side walk with the Ouendan all but surrounding him.

"What the...!? HEY!" Starr yells. The Ouendan stop and turn their heads to see her, Foxx and Missy rush across the street towards them.

"Oh, hey girls!" Spin calls out as the girls rush in front of him.

"Spin! What happened!?" Missy exclaims, "Who are these guys!?"

Spin laughs nervously as he scratches the back of his head, "Well... Let's just say...I had a LITTLE too much fun."

"You what!?" Starr exclaims, "You didn't do anything to piss them off, did you!?"

"The only thing that would piss us off," Kai said, "Is if you girls were to break the deal he made with us!"

"Deal!? What deal!?" Foxx demands.

"Agent come if lose to Ouendan," Suzuki says with broken English.

"I suggest you go home," Ryuta said, "Your friend'll be staying with us for a while."

"W-wait a minute!" Starr stammers, "I'm sure this is some kind of misunderstanding. He probably thought you weren't being serious about this."

"He knew we were serious, but decided to take the challenge anyway," said Hajime.

"W-what're you going to do with him!?" Missy panics.

"That's not your concern," Ryuta said before looking back to the others, "**Come on, let's go.**" The other Ouendan nod as they continued onward with Spin getting ready to follow.

"Hey!" Starr snaps, grabbing Ryuta by the ribbons on his shoulders and forcing him around to face her, "You can't just assume you can take whoever you want without thinking about their feelings!"

"And you think you have the right to talk about someone's feelings when the person in question is still in the immediate area?" Ryuta retorts, grabbing Starr's hands and yanking them off, "The next time you go spouting smack like that, take a moment to ask your friend what he wants before deciding what's best for him!" he drops Starr's arms and turns around to leave with the others following.

"Let's just go, Starr," Missy said, grabbing her companion's shoulder, "We'll let the other Agents deal with this."

"Yeah," Foxx said, "I really don't wanna pick a fight with these guys."

Starr, unfortunately, was not about to go back home and risk upsetting Kahn about losing Spin. Growling in frustration, she rushes towards Ryuta again only to feel something slam into her gut, causing her to hurl saliva as she bends over from the pain and recoil.

"**That wasn't necessary, Hajime,**" Ryuta said, not bothering to look behind him at the culprit Ouendan who had his knee jabbed into Starr's gut. Hajime eyes him before bringing his leg down, allowing her to fall into a fetal position while grabbing where she was hit.

"**They would've continued pestering him until he changed his mind,**" Hajime said as the other two Divas rush to Starr's side, "**This is the only way to get them out of our hair and back home.**" Ryuta frowns a bit before continuing onward with Spin and the rest of the Ouendan following suit, leaving the girls to tend to Starr's predicament.

* * *

After what seemed like half a day, the group finally reached a traditional Japanese dojo deep in the woods with the same star-like emblem hanging over the door. Spin looks at the dojo with a raised eyebrow and his fists on his side.

"You guys seriously live here?" he asked.

"We are not the richest squadron on the planet," Kai said, rather irritably, "We make do with what we have, so deal with it."

"Whoa!" Spin said, throwing his hands up in defense, "I ain't sayin' you guys are weak. If the entire Japanese community respects y'all as much as America respects EBA, I shouldn't even be givin' you tips on how to spice up your crib."

"By the time your first day of training is done, you will be treating us with more respect than you are letting on. But first, some rearranging."

Before Spin could figure out what Kai meant, Hajime comes up behind him and yanks his headphones off. The trainee yelps, trying to regain his balance as the rookie Ouendan slips them onto his ears while messing with the controls.

"Hey!" he complains, whipping around to face Hajime who starts listening to Slim Thug's "I Ain't Heard of That", "What gives!?"

"They will be returned when you get used to our method of training," Kai said, "Such values should not be used so recklessly." Spin turns back to him, shrugging sheepishly.

"Y'all; it's nice that you care about my stuff. But in case you aren't aware, I can't keep up my beat without some sort of..." he's cut off by Kai shoving a cassette player and a pair of large, oval shaped headphones in his direction. Spin stares at the "new" equipment in dumbstruck silence, "You have got to be kiddin' me!"

"If you would rather practice without a handicap..."

Spin waves his hands side to side, "Alright, alright! I'll take it!" he grumbles as he takes the cassette player and straps it to his belt while throwing on the oval shaped headphones, first the way he always wore his old set, but then readjusts them when they got uncomfortable.

"Now then," Kai said, "If you will follow me, we will begin your training." He heads off towards the back of the dojo with Saito and Suzuki following right beside him. Hajime and Ryuta watch as Spin reluctantly follows after them.

"**500yen says he won't last an hour back there,**" Hajime said despite not hearing his own voice amidst the loud volume of Spin's headphones.

"**Deal!**" Ryuta said.

* * *

The quartet walked through the woods three feet from the dojo before coming to a stop in a wide gap of trees. Spin turns around to face the three Ouendan.

"So now what?" he asked.

"Now you dance," Kai said sternly.

Spin scoffs in amusement, "That's it!?" he then starts to flex his joints, "Shoot, man! This'll be a synch!"

As he was getting ready, Kai looks at Saito and Suzuki who nod and head off in different directions. When Spin finishes, he notices the two cohorts standing several feet away from him, holding a bunch of ropes in their hands.

"What's goin' on?" Spin asks.

"We are just making preparations," Kai said backing away several feet, "Begin your performance." Spin raises an eyebrow, but shrugs and turns the cassette player on. Once the music started flowing in his ears, he began dancing his best moves.

A minute into the song, Kai raised his right arm. Suzuki releases one of the ropes, causing a wooden plank to drop out of the trees and clobber Spin on the head.

"YOW!" he cries, dropping to his knees and grabbing his head, "What hit me!?"

"That is not your concern," Kai said as Suzuki began pulling the rope he released, raising the plank back into the trees, "Continue your performance."

Spin grumbles as he gets back up and starts dancing. Another minute later, Kai raises his other arm. Saito pulls on one of the ropes in his hands until a wooden plank slides off a tree branch, smacking the trainee upside the face and throwing him to the side as it swung into his path.

"Hey!" Spin yells, catching sight of the plank that smacked him after propping himself onto his hands, "What the hell're you doing!?"

"It is a method we use to train new Ouendan in preparing for the duties for the world around us," Kai said as the second plank is pulled into the trees, "Get up and continue."

"How do you expect me to continue if Jay and Silent Bob keep interruptin' me!?" Spin complains, rubbing the side of his head.

"You are not cheering for some football team who idly sit by and let you dance to your hearts content!" Kai snaps, "You are cheering for the entire world! You will get distracted, pushed around, even knocked off your feet!" Spin cringes on every word spoken to him, "If you do not get back up and continue your performance, you have no right to be an Agent or an Ouendan for that matter!" he then points at the trainee, "Now get up and DANCE!"

Spin's face twists in frustration as he gets up and continues his performance. Kai raises his arms every minute, ordering Saito or Suzuki to release more planks that the trainee is forced to dodge in the most pathetic way possible.

* * *

Late that evening, the sliding doors fly open as three girls in blue, western style uniforms bust in with bags hanging off their arms.

"**WE'RE HOME!!**" they shout in unison. They head into the living room, finding Ryuta sitting on the futon, watching TV while drinking a can of chocolate soy milk, and Hajime sitting on a beanie mattress, listening to Jamiroquai's "Virtual Insanity" on Spin's headphones.

"**We seem to be missing a few people,**" said one of girls, being the oldest of the two with blonde hair and a beauty mark on the lower left lip, "**Where are Kai, Saito and Suzuki?**"

As if on cue, the doors to the backyard slide open as Kai kicks off his getas and steps inside.

"**Get a bed ready,**" he said, walking past the group of familiars, "**We're done for today.**" The girls watch as he leaves the living room, then looks back outside to find Saito and Suzuki enter the living room with Spin limp on their shoulders. His clothes were tattered far worse than Kai's uniform; the cassette player busted and the headphones scratched and torn. Despite the blood drooling out of his nose and corner mouth, his shades miraculously survive the onslaught.

"**Three hours,**" Ryuta said, not bothering to look at Spin's condition, "**Amazing he's still conscious after what Kai put him through.**" He finishes by stretching his empty hand out and waving his fingers, forcing Hajime to reach into his pocket, pull out and toss five 100yen in his direction.

"Conscious!?" Spin exclaims, shooting a glare at Ryuta, "It's a miracle I'm still alive! What were you tryin' to do, kill me!?"

"Didn't Kai tell you?" Ryuta asks rhetorically while stuffing the yen into his pocket, "Now that you're in our domain, you'll be training under us with the methods we use to prepare for our daily duties. Compared to what goes on the real world, those boards are the least of your problems."

"The way you set them up begs to differ!" Spin pulls his arms off Saito and Suzuki and storms over to Ryuta, who takes another sip of his chocolate soy milk, "You'd be lucky if I can still dance after that Slam-fest!"

"Well, perhaps if we'd gotten back sooner, we would've volunteered our pompoms to substitute for those planks," the blonde cheerleader giggles before the brown haired cheerleader elbows her arm.

"Please try to understand," she said, turning her attention to Spin, "We are only trying to help you perfect your talents."

"Really?" Spin asks, shooting his glare towards the brown haired cheerleader, "Well thank you for doing a shitty job! I'll remember that next time I'm brutalized by a hoard of planks!" he then stomps out of the room and down the hall. The brown haired girl sighs and looks over to Ryuta.

"**You should've told him sooner,**" she said, "**About his parents.**"

"**I wanted to,**" Ryuta said, taking another sip of his chocolate soy milk, "**But Kai believes if we did that, it would only make training a lot harder.**" He then eyes where Spin stormed off, "**Tonight doesn't appear to be a good time to try and talk to him.**"

Everyone else looks to where Ryuta is glancing before sighing and lowering their heads in worry.

End Notes:

As with the Author notes in "National Disasters", I apologize if the way I potray the Ouendan are not to your liking, though some of the characteristics have changed based on a closer look at their profile translated on Cracked Rabbit's fansite.


	6. Episode 6: Secrets of the Taijitu

Episode 6: Secrets of the Taijitu

"What the hell were you doing!?" Chieftain hollers after hearing what the Divas did that lead to Spin's unfortunate disappearance.

"We're sorry, sir," Missy nearly cries, addressing Kahn who is more displeased than Chieftain at the news, "We were only having fun. Spin just...went a little too far."

"And thanks to you, he's in the hands of a bunch of strangers who are probably holding him for ransom!" Chieftain exclaims, "You should be keeping an eye on him instead of spending your time shopping for cloths!"

"He's not a dog, Agent Chieftain," Kahn said, getting the tall agent to cool his temper, "However, the fact that you dragged him with you for the soul purpose of going to another country disappoints me. His assessment is in four days and we cannot let these Japanese school boys keep him from getting into our agency. I suggest you girls return to Japan and get Spin back here by any means necessary."

"Yes, sir," the Divas sighed as they slump out of the room. Chieftain's frown increases as he looks over to Kahn.

"We should've left that kid locked in his quarters until our hands are free," he mutters.

"If we did that, he wouldn't have as much freedom as you and J did when you joined the agency," Kahn said, folding his arms and placing his elbows on his desk, "I fear Twist and Twirl's disappearance is pushing us into a phase where we aren't sure how things will turn out in the future." He sighs and places his lips on his folded hands, "We must figure out some way of keeping this agency together before something bad happens."

* * *

Spin woke up the next morning, laying on a cotton mattress with a red blanket covering his body. He groans as he sits up, rubbing where he had been pummeled yesterday.

"Shoot," he grumbles, "My body still hurts." He stumbles to his feet, "If I'd've known how ruthless them Ouendan are, I'd never've made that stupid deal with them."

Spin moves for the hallway only to slip on his blanket. Yelping, he struggles to regain his balance while stumbling back until he slammed into one of the bookshelves taking up the walls of the room. The jolt knocks him onto his rump as a binder topples off the shelf, bounces off his head and lands on the floor, falling open to reveal several photos.

Hajime comes into the room with a tray of food, finding the Agent in "training" mouthing several curse words while rubbing his head in pain. Spin glares at the binder, wanting to kick it across the room, but two photos caught his attention.

They were pictures of the entire Ouendan cast, five males, three of whom, Hajime, Ryuta and Kai, didn't have ribbons around their shoulders, three females and two kids who seem to be Hajime's younger siblings. The youngest, a girl being roughly two-years-old, had brown hair and wore a baby outfit that resembled a cat. The second youngest, a boy estimated to be eight-years-old, had black, messy hair, wearing a white t-shirt over a black turtleneck and navi blue sweatpants.

One photo is a perfect shot of the group, showing the cheerleaders crouched down, Aoi, the pink haired cheerleader with glasses, sat on the left with her pompoms stretched out to one side, Sayaka, the brown haired cheerleader, sitting in the center with arms open while pointed to the ground, and Anna, the blonde haired cheerleader, sitting on the right with her pompoms stretched beside her. Ryuta and Hajime crouched beside the girls, Ryuta holding his fist out while Hajime held out an open hand, holding his sister on his shoulder with his brother standing beside him throwing a fist into the air. Saito, Kai and Suzuki stood over the group, Saito and Suzuki holding their arms up while Kai throws an open palm towards the camera.

The second photo appears to be a blooper, with Aoi sitting on Sayaka while Anna sits near the two with a dazed look on her face. Hajime struggles to calm his siblings; the youngest crying and pulling his corner lips back while the second youngest tries to reach for her in a hostile manner only to have Hajime push him back. The rest of the Ouendan stared at the disaster before them with a dumbstruck look on their face.

Of the two photos, both ruined and perfected, two people sitting in the center of the squad remained still, not the least bit fazed by what went on around them. It took Spin a minute before he recognizes the couple in the photo.

"That's..." he mutters in shock.

"Taken two years ago," Hajime said, walking towards Spin who snaps his head up to him, "That was the only time we ever encountered an Agent and showed them our method of cheering people on."

"So why didn't you tell me sooner instead of throwin' me out into that hellhole yesterday!?" Spin exclaims, moving to sit on his knees.

"Kai wanted to put you through your paces first before letting us tell you why we're so intent on helping you," Hajime said, bending down to his knees and placing the tray in front of Spin, "He believes that if he shows you how we trained first before mentioning your parents, you'd have more reason to understand and respect us than if we were to do it the other way around."

Hajime leans back a bit and crosses his arms, "As Kai said last night, we're not the richest organization on the planet. We don't have any of those fancy holodecks or whatever technology that makes NASA look like a computer lab. In order for us to even be aware of what could stop us from cheering for the world, we had to use other methods to prepare for them. The boards Kai hit you with yesterday are supposed to simulate what would happen if you were to go on a mission littered with distractions waiting to interrupt your performance and most likely ruin your mission."

Spin's frustration began to lighten up as the thought sunk in. Sighing, he lowers his head.

"I'm sorry for offendin' you yesterday," he said, pulling the tray in front of him and eating the food sitting on it, "I guess I was still upset by the loss at the arcade that I didn't even think about why you were doin' all that stuff to me."

"I was pretty much the same way when I first joined," Hajime said, "When I ran into Kai on the way from school and heard about this squadron, I thought being able to cheer for the world would be a synch. That thought quickly got knocked out of me when I arrived at the dojo and was pummeled by those boards. If Ryuta hadn't told me why Kai pushed me around, I'd probably've quit before I even experience the joys of lifting one's spirit."

"Why'd they let him push people around like that? He ain't gonna get any friends if he kicks them around like soccer balls."

"Kai has to be aggressive; it's his job as the Ouendan chief. You want his respect you have to earn it, plain and simple. If he went soft on everyone he met, Ryuta wouldn't be able to rely on him to whip people into shape."

"I'm guessin' Ryuta's the leader of this squad?"

"Kinda funny, isn't it; having a big guy like Kai being bossed around by someone smaller and younger than him? But Ryuta knows how to handle a squad, so everyone listens to him without question. There've been times where people get the two's ranks mixed up, but they don't seem to mind the misunderstanding."

Spin runs his fork along the bottom of his lips before looking at Hajime, "Hey. Maybe you guys should hook up with EBA. You know, work together in case somethin' like another meteor comes crashin' towards earth. I remember my parents gave a shout out to you guys when they used their jivin' energy to crush the last one that threatened our planet."

"Ryuta's been working on that offer ever since he heard about EBA through Anna when she came onboard a three years ago."

"Anna... That's..."

"The cheerleader with the blonde hair; she actually emigrated from America, so she's considered a veteran of the country. And Ryuta, having a huge interest in western culture, was eager to hear what she had to say about the land of liberty. That's when he heard of an American Ouendan called Elite Beat Agents and how their methods of lifting people's spirits were different from our own. Ryuta highly respects EBA and wants to form an alliance with them, but there was one problem barricading him from reaching that goal."

"Does it have anything to do with the Em-O-Meter in the EBA command room?"

"Ryuta hates polygraphs because they're just lazy excuses of testing someone's faith, which often don't give out an accurate answer. He prefers to let his heart tell him who to help and who to push aside. That's what he calls that emotional radar system in EBA: another polygraph strapped to a computer and made to look like it was actually worth something. He didn't want to ignore this difference out of fear that they would one day target and help the wrong person and have their credibility shattered. International trips are expensive and we needed the funding just to pay the bills, put food on the table and buy any necessary equipment for training and other needs. But Ryuta did have one idea that he hopes could make the Agents less dependent on their radar and more aware of the things around them. He knew EBA has various routes that allow members to go anywhere on the planet in a short amount of time. So rather than take the bull by the horns and risk getting trampled, he opt to just wait until an Agent comes to Japan, confront them and offer to teach them the method of using their hearts to judge who should be helped."

"And that's where my parents come in?"

"Wiley couple, they were. When our paths crossed, they were more than eager to learn how we cheer for the world. We then taught them how to use their hearts to see one's spirit from anywhere on the planet. Surprisingly, they were able to lock onto a spirit in less than a week while it took us nearly a month to master this. I figure it's because their jiving spirits are so high, it was easier for them to grasp the ability than if it were taught to someone who was just gaining theirs. When your parents left, we had hoped the knowledge would spread to other EBA members. But the lack of response led us to think the Commander ridiculed it, so now we're back at square one trying to figure out another way of gaining their trust."

"Well, I don't think it went to waste. If I remember correctly, a friend of mine, who got me into EBA, was tryin' out this technique in hopes of findin' my parents."

At this, Hajime compresses his lips in mournful worry, "Yeah... About that..." he was interrupted by a beeping noise in his pocket. He reaches in and pulls out a digital wristwatch, "Whoops! I'd better get to class before it's too late!" He gets up and heads out of the room, leaving Spin alone to tend to his breakfast.

* * *

An hour later, Spin walks into the living room, finding Kai sitting on the futon with a mug of tea on the table below him, watching an anime on TV. Sighing nervously, he walks over to the tall Ouendan and plops himself right beside him, silent for a couple of seconds before looking over to him.

"Hey, man," he said, "We...sorta got off on the wrong foot. I was wonderin' if we can start over and try that trainin' session again. Ya dig?"

Kai didn't say anything. Spin thought he was still upset by his tirade yesterday to want to talk to him again. Finally, the chief Ouendan turns his eyes towards him.

"Are you sure you want to continue your training in that outfit?" he asked. Spin cocks an eyebrow before looking at his torn cloths, remembering the fiasco that lead to their unfortunate demise.

"Well... I didn't pack a whole lot..." he trails off, scratching the back of his head.

Kai stares at him a few more seconds before standing up, "Come with me."

He leads Spin down the hallway until he reached a dead end, then turns and heads to one of the rooms on the right. Spin watches as he reaches into a closet at the far end of the room and tosses him a pair of clothes.

"These are sturdier than the clothes on your back," he said, "Try them."

Spin stares at the uniform a second before heading into one of the rooms to change. He comes out a minute later, wearing the gaku-ran uniform matching that of the other Ouendans.

"Hey, looking snazzy there, kid," said a voice. Spin looks beside him to see Ryuta walking towards him with his hands behind his back.

"Thanks, man," Spin said as the two bump arms, "Ya know. I'm thinkin' this could be the start of a beautiful friendship."

"I couldn't agree more."

* * *

Hajime sat in class, listening to his arithmetic teacher ramble on about improper fractions and other forms of mathematics. He still had his Ouendan uniform on, which didn't bother his teachers as it was the same color as the dress code of the school he's attending. Having grown bored of the lecture, he decided to play around with his sixth sense to see how many of his classmates were also drifting away from reality; though the sight of half the class sprawled back in their chairs, snoozing pretty much answered his question.

Sighing in frustration over the teacher's lame lecture, not to mention the fact he had already read through the chapter in his textbook several times, Hajime decided to check up on EBA, knowing that they would be completely riled up after what happened yesterday. As expected, almost everyone was on edge because of Spin's "capture"; angered, distraught, and fearful of what will happen if they don't get him back before the end of the week.

The worst of the stress appears to be coming form their Commanding Officer. And Hajime fears that if he snaps, the entire agency could come after the squad for more reasons than to get Spin back. To make matters worse, he can sense the Divas driving around Japan; their spiritual essence no better than the Agents back at Central, which indicates that they could do more to the squad than force Spin to change his mind.

Even though Ryuta was willing to take the bullet in favor of a friend and to further establish his trust with the agency, Hajime was not about to sit back and let the situation get out of hand. There was only one way to avoid a needless battle and he feels he's the only one who can do it.

* * *

Later that evening, Spin walks into the kitchen, finding Hajime pouring some batter mix onto a nonstick skillet.

"Hey, Haji! What's cookin'!?" Spin calls, walking over to him. He began nicknaming most of the Ouendan when his friendship with them began to grow of the course of the day.

"Okonomiyaki," Hajime said, taking a pair of spatulas and flipping the pastry over, "They're like pizza, only smaller and made with different toppings." He points towards a large plate full of freshly made okonomiyakis, "There's a fresh batch if you want to try one."

Spin heads over to the plate and picks one up, noticing that it had a Taijitu painted on the front; the yin made from traditional okonomiyaki sauce, while the yang is made with sweet and sour sauce. He stares at it a couple of seconds before taking a bit out of the sweat and sour side.

"Wow! These're good!" Spin exclaims in astonishment, "Say, shouldn't the yang be white instead of red?"

"It should...but I couldn't find any mayo, so I had to make do with what's in the fridge." Spin looks at Hajime in suspicion, but shrugs and finishes off the rest of the okonomiyaki before heading out of the kitchen. Once gone, Hajime sighs in frustration, "I hope they understand..."

* * *

"I HUNGRY!!" Aoi complains, pounding her knees, "When Hajime going finish dinner!?"

"If you're so impatient, why don't you go help him?" Anna asked, rather annoyed.

"Please," Ryuta snorts, "If she did that, we'd all be starving right now." Aoi fumes Ryuta's remark.

"Alright, sorry to keep you waiting," Hajime said as he came into the living room with a large plate of okonomiyaki.

"YAY!!" Aoi cheers, grabbing the first cake and chomping down on it. Everyone took their share and started eating as well. Hajime watched before turning to leave, "You not join us?"

"Sorry," Hajime said, "I'm getting ready for a trip with my family, so I have to leave early." He then walks off, waving to the others as he did.

"Aww, no fun if Hajime no with us." Aoi whines. Ryuta just stares at where Hajime once stood. He became suspicious of the rookie Ouendan's shift in emotion ever since he defensively attacked Starr.

Kai hasn't touched his share, also sensing that something was going on. His frown increases a second later as he looks closer at the okonomiyaki's design.

"BAKA!!" he yells, slamming his hands on the table. Everyone nearly jumped, looking at Kai as he gets up and storms out of the room after Hajime.

"What's up with him?" Anna asks, munching on her okonomiyaki. Ryuta hums in more suspicion as he crosses his arms and looks down at the okonomiyaki in front of him.

* * *

"I'm tired!" Missy complains, rubbing her arm, "Let's call it a night, huh?"

"We can't," Starr seethed as she drove around Tokyo, looking left and right, "If we go back home empty handed, the Commander is gonna go livid! We need to keep looking until we find Spin or..."

"One of them!" Foxx exclaims, pointing out the window. Starr stops the car, seeing Hajime walking in their direction.

"The nerves of him," Starr hisses, "Walking around like everything's normal to him. I say we snatch him and make him pay for what he did to us yesterday!"

"Yeah!" the other two Divas shout in unison.

Kai runs along the dark streets of Tokyo, looking around until he spots Hajime two blocks ahead of him, seeming to look around as he heads further down the sidewalk.

"Hajime!" he calls out. The rookie Ouendan stops, takes one glance at Kai before darting his attention towards the streets and dashing off. Aggravated, Kai moves to follow when he catches the EBA convertible pull up to the curb.

In an instant, the Divas leap out and tackle Hajime before he was an inch from the tailgate, Missy and Foxx straining him by the arms as he struggles to pull free.

"Hold him still, girls!" Starr orders. Missy and Foxx stretched Hajime's arms out as she walks up to him and slams her knee into his gut, causing him to hurl saliva as he buckles from the impact, "That's for yesterday, you punk!"

Hajime grunts as Starr grabs him by the tails of his bandana and yanks his head back, taking a can attached to a mask and pressing it onto his face. The rookie Ouendan struggles to escape as a foul tasting odor seeps through his nose and mouth. In an instant, his eyes start to sag as he slowly stops struggling and goes limp in Missy and Foxx's arms.

"Get him into the car!" Starr orders again as she makes her way to the driver's seat. Kai watches with frustration as the two back-up Divas haul Hajime towards the convertible and stuffs him in the backseat, then hop in and drive off.

* * *

The phone on the living room wall rings as Ryuta walks over and picks it up.

"**Hello?**" he greets before frowning, "**Is he feeling okay?**"

"**Aniki said he was staying at the dojo for a while,**" Hajime's younger brother said from the other line, "**He sounded sick. Is something wrong?**" he didn't get a response due to Ryuta's stunned silence, "**Well, if he is, could you take care of him?**"

"**Uh...yeah...**" Ryuta trails off, hanging up the phone. He heads back to the table and sits down, staring at the okonomiyaki some more.

"This good!" Aoi squeals in delight.

"How can you still eat at a time like this!?" Sayaka scolds, "Can you not see we are in the middle of a situation here?"

"Aoi no help! Too good to waste!" she then points to the Taijitu design on what's left of her share, "And so colorful! Look like Ouendan dance with EBA!"

Ryuta's shoots a glance at Aoi a second, turns his attention back to his share and takes a closer look at the design before slamming his hands on the table in anger, "Dammit! He's been plotting this from the start!"

"Wh-what is it?" Spin asks, nervously.

"Hajime... He must've been spying on EBA ever since we separated you from them! He's afraid if we keep them in the dark any longer, they'll do more than just take you back! That's why he lied to us when he said he was going on a trip with his family!"

"But how could he do that!?" Sayaka asks, "We would have been able to see through anything a person might hide from us!"

"Our hunger..." Ryuta mutters, "He took advantage of how hungry we were so that when he hands out dinner, we'd be too distracted eating to realize what he's up to until it's too late!"

"Then...what do you think he's doin' that excludes us?" Spin asks.

"What else?" Ryuta asks, rhetorically, "Complete the Taijitu."

"Taijitu?"

"Take a look at your share," everyone looks at what was left of their okonomiyaki, "Normally, a Taijitu is supposed to represent the balance of good and evil. But Hajime sets it up as a way of telling us he's wants to hold back EBA by giving himself up in exchange for keeping you here."

"Wait, I'm confused here," Spin said, "How's a yin-yang supposed to tell us what he's up to?"

"Take a closer look at the design. The okonomiyaki sauce represents EBA and the sweet and sour sauce represents our squad. The dots crossing over indicate that one organization has taken another hostage. Hajime's handing himself over to EBA in an attempt to keep them away from us, then try to reason with them so they understand why we're doing this in the first place."

"Ah, man! That's crazy!" Spin exclaims, "Considerin' what he did yesterday, those girl're probably gonna torture him without hearin' him out! We should go after him before..."

"It is too late," growls a voice. Everyone turns to see Kai standing in the doorway of the living room with an aggravated look on his face, "The Taijitu is complete. He now belongs to the EBA."

Ryuta curses in Japanese as he slaps his okonomiyaki off the table, throws his elbows down and clasps his hands onto his face, "He should've minded his own business! What the hell was he thinking!?"

"Why should we even worry?" Anna snorts, chomping on what's left of her okonomiyaki, "Hajime's famous for getting himself in and out of trouble. You remember what happened when he purposely let himself get captured by escaped thugs a week ago. He's gonna mess with those Agents before getting serious about the situation."

"Escaped prisoners are one thing," Sayaka said, annoyed, "But we are talking about an organization with the same goal as us! And with technology of NASA proportions for that matter! They could be holding him in some room with little chance of him ever finding a way out!"

"It...it shouldn't be all that bad," Spin said, "After all, I got a friend over there who knew about you guys through my Pop. If anything, he'd probably try and keep the other Agents from doing anythin' terrible to your teammate."

Everyone looked over to Spin before sighing in frustration.

"Let's hope he can get to Hajime before anything happens to him," Ryuta mutters.

* * *

"This had better be good," Chieftain grumbles as the Divas lead him towards the EBA garage. It was one thing to be deprived of his favorite cup of Joe, but to be ragged out of bed before he could smell it is something he didn't really want to put up with.

"We may not've been able to find Spin," Starr said, "But we found one of the men who kidnapped him wandering around the streets and decided to take him instead."

"So...now that he's in our hands, what should we do with him?" Foxx asked, becoming more nervous of Starr's grumpy behavior than the wellbeing of the agency.

"What else?" Starr growls, "I say we throw him to the artic ocean in the holodeck, let him suffer hypothermia and then ask him where Spin is!"

"That's...kinda harsh, don't you think?"

"Whatever those punks're doing to Spin could be ten-times worse!" Missy pipes up, "The poor kid's probably locked in some one square room with nothing but a chair to keep him company!"

"That's right!" Starr fumes, "And once they get the information they need concerning our organization, they'll find their way here and force us out of the job!"

Foxx puckers her lips nervously, knowing the two are probably too tired to even give this whole torture thing some thought. She shuffles ahead of the group, then stops at the convertible where they left Hajime. The moment she glances into the backseat, she frowns.

"Girls," She mutters. The two groggy Divas and Chieftain glance over to Foxx as she points to the back of the car, "We have a problem..."

They rush over to the convertible and crowd around the backseat, finding it completely vacant.

"He's gone!?" Missy yelps, "No way!"

"That's impossible!" Starr squeaks, "I gave him enough chloroform to keep him conked out for hours! He shouldn't even be able to move, let alone focus!"

"If it wasn't for the fact that you girls were too tired to think straight, I'd be doing more than lecturing you on how to properly keep an eye on things!" Chieftain grumbles, "Go get some rest! Me and the other Agents will fan the base for that kid!"

The Divas cringe in worry and fatigue as they wander off to where their quarters are located. Chieftain sighs in annoyance, rubbing his temples as he heads off towards the command room.

* * *

"Damn...so tired..." Hajime grumbles as he skulks through the hallway of EBA Central, tired, but alert. He was lucky the Divas were too exhausted from an all day search to realize he held his breath to avoid as much of the chloroform as they were forcing onto him. Unfortunately, recovery is going rather slow, making it impossible for him to stay awake as he tries to make his way towards where Commander Kahn is currently stationed.

After a few minutes of wandering down identical halls, Hajime places his hand on a pair of double doors and leans against it, groaning as he pushes his glasses up to rub fatigue from his eyes. Not long after resting against the door, he feels his hand suddenly fall through, causing him to lose balance and tumble into the room behind it...or so he was lead to believe as he finds himself staring at a partly cloudy sky seconds before hitting the water below.

Startled, Hajime accidentally inhales a mouth full of water before scrambling to the surface, coughing and gasping. After regaining what little sense he had left in his fatigue mind, the rookie Ouendan attempts to get a bearing on his surroundings when he felt something bump into his head. He turns around to find a red, star patterned life ring floating near him.

"What a drag!" whined a monotone, childish voice, "We thought that was Morris coming back with snacks!" Hajime looks past the ring to see Diablo and Vixie, the Yorkie, standing near the shores of a huge Island, barking in annoyance.

"I smelled sweet and source sauce even with the real-life simulation turned on!" Vixie complains.

Hajime looks at the two dogs in exhausted confusion before turning his attention back to the life ring and grabbing onto it. A rope attached to the ring jumps out of the water, pulling both of them towards the Island until Hajime's knees hit dirt.

"Well, we may have to change out schedule," J said cockily as he walks over to Hajime, who struggles to his feet and stumbles a few feet from shore before dropping to his hands and knees while trembling from the effects of the chloroform, "Cause it looks to me like we have ourselves a bit of a situation here."

Diablo and Vixie crowd around Hajime, sniffing him out.

"Who do you think he is, Mr. J?" Diablo asks.

"Not well, that's what I'd say!" Vixie yips, "I'm amazed he was able to stay above water in that condition!"

Hajime shook his head as he struggles to get up again, his legs shaking from the weight of his body, "Your Commander... I need to talk to him." He tries to move only to have his legs buckle, about to send him back onto the sand when J caught him.

"Wha-ho there, bucko," J said, pulling Hajime's arm behind his neck, "Not exactly a good time to be making requests right now."

"I...its important..." Hajime slurs, seeming to lose consciousness, "I...I need to..."

"What you need is a rest," J interrupts, "I don't know what happened to you, but you're not in a position to be walking around." He then looks to Diablo and Vixie, "Come on, girls. We should get going."

"OK!" the two yipped as they followed J into the jungle.

End Notes:

1. For those who don't remember my End Notes in Episode 2, the whole spirit seeking ability is something I made up based on how the Ouendan were able to respond so quickly to people in distress.

2. Hajime's younger brother and sister (Who will be fully introduced later on) are characters I made up in accordance to his profile as being the eldest boy in the family.

3. As with episode 4, episode 6 has been altered in accordance to the altered timeline, therefore, the estimated age of Hajime's brother and sister had to be reduced slightly to maintain their youthful personalities in later episodes.


	7. Episode 7: Connections to Differentials

Episode 7: Connections to the Differentials

Spin walks into his room later that night, sighing in worry over what happened during dinner. Because his ability to sense spirits was 80times below that of the Ouendan, he couldn't be sure if what he said was actually true. And considering the mood they were in, he didn't want to ask them whether or not Hajime was alright.

As he makes his way towards the mat he slept in last night, he noticed his wireless headphones resting on the pillow. Hajime must have left it there before he threw himself to the lions. Compressing his lips, Spin walks over to the headphones and picks them up, staring at them a few seconds before putting them aside and climbing into bed for the night.

Sleeping was going to be a little rough, but Spin tries to hold onto the hope that whatever happened to Hajime doesn't affect the outcome of everyone who meets him.

* * *

Hajime groans and opens his eyes, finding himself laying in the bed of, what appears to be, some kind of one space hotel room. There wasn't a whole lot in the room other than a closet, a bench near the window sill exposing the view of the city in mid-morning, and a 10ft tall, 12ft wide plasma TV taking up the corner.

"Hey! You're awake!" yips a voice. Hajime blinks and looks in front of him to see Sabin sitting on his chest, wagging his tail, "You looked terrible when Mr. J brought you in here." Hajime brought his arms out from under the cover and lifts the Shih Tzu's upper body, glancing at the bone-shaped device on his collar, "We all thought you were dead."

"That's an interesting device you got there," Hajime said as he sat up.

"You like? Ms. Foxx built it for us when Mr. J first joined as a way to communicate with each other."

Hajime stares at the device some more before coming back to his senses and pushing Sabin to the foot of the bed, "Damn! I forgot! I have to go!"

"Go? Go where?" Sabin asks as Hajime throws the covers off him.

"I need to talk to the Commander! It's an emergency!" Hajime hops out of bed and moves towards the door only to have his legs buckle again, throwing him to the floor. He muffles a curse in Japanese as he pushes himself onto his hands and knees, causing them to tremble from the lack of strength.

"Well, aren't you persistent," said a different voice. Hajime saw a pair of legs walk towards him and looks up to see J looking down at him with a cocky grin on his face, "Down for three hours and you're already trying to leave?"

"Three hours...?" Hajime groans as J reaches down and helps him back into bed, "It feels like I've been out longer..."

"Mr. J pulled you out of the ocean in the holodeck, don't you remember?" Sabin asked as J pulls the covers up to Hajime's neck.

"I barely remember leaving the car..." he groaned, squeezing his eyes shut from the dizziness in his head, "Those Divas must've doped me with enough chloroform to make me have memory lapses when I tried to wake up."

"Ah, so they're the peeps to blame for ruining my leisure time," J said jokingly as he pulls up a chair, positioning the backrest towards the bed, and sitting on it, "Well, you focus on getting your strength back before you do anything serious."

Hajime opens his eyes and looks towards J, "You seem different from everyone else in this base. You're not as stressed about Spin's disappearance as they are."

"Mr. Twist had the same armband as you do," Sabin said, "That's why Mr. J was more eager to help you."

"Well, that and I checked your vibes when I caught you earlier," J said, placing one arm on the backrest and leaning against it.

"I see. So you're that friend Spin mentioned earlier; the one who knew about our sixth sense through his parents?" Hajime asked.

"Interesting skill; being able to know what a person's thinking just by feeling their spirit. I can see why Twist and Twirl stopped relying on the Em-O-Meter as much as they used to in the past."

"So, you just recently started learning this ability?"

J laughs nervously, "Actually, I been trying to improve on it since the two disappeared six months ago."

"Six months!?" Hajime exclaims, propping himself on his elbows, "And you've only managed to sense someone's spirits by touching them!?"

J brings his hands up in defense, "Hey cut me some slack here. I would've gotten the hang of this, but things came up and I barely have time to sit down and expand my spiritual radius."

Hajime's dumbstruck expression lightens up in realization as he lays back down and turns his head to look towards the ceiling, "Huh. I guess it makes sense, considering Twist and Twirl didn't have a whole lot to do at the dojo except sit and mediate."

J leans against the backrest again, "Things are hectic now, especially with everyone on the high end of the thermometer over what happened to Spin. But rest assured, when things finally get on track and the kid gets his license, I'll have plenty of time to improve on this ability, figure out the whereabouts of Twist and Twirl and hopefully get them back here before anything serious happens to them."

A chorus of beeps chimes as the door slides up. Everyone looks over to find Morris and Derek rush into the room; Morris carrying a tray of club sandwiches, all impaled with plastic toothpicks with miniature EBA badges on top of them.

"J, there you are!" Morris said, "When I came back to the holodeck and found it shut down, I figured you heard about..." he interrupts himself when he and Derek caught sight of Hajime laying in J's bed.

"Heard about what?" J asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Forget heard," Derek began, crossing his arms, "I believe he just caught our escapee."

J's frown tightens, "Escapee?"

"Haven't you been listening?" Morris asked, "That kid is one of those thugs who nabbed Spin yesterday!" Hajime frowns in annoyance.

"Oh-ho, that was so funny, I forgot to laugh," he huffs, turning his head away from the other Agents, "C'mon, are you so naïve that you'd automatically assume a simple favor would spell death to your little agency?"

"A favor!?" Derek nearly explodes, "You call showing up out of nowhere and forcing Spin to go with you a favor!?"

"Your hypocritical girlfriends lead you to think we took him against his will, not even bothering to ask if he was going with us by choice," Hajime looks back over to Morris and Derek, "Besides, you've wasted enough of the time he needed to get his license and our leader isn't the least bit happy with the neglect."

"And what do you think you're doin' right now!?" Morris exclaims, "We were doin' just fine without you gettin' in our way!"

"Oh really? That's funny, 'cause last I remember, dancing to your own reflection for two days isn't my idea of preparing for an assessment test."

"We were gonna step up his trainin'..."

"But you were called out to a mission and he wound up with a trio of girls who used him as a chauffer rather than help him 'step up' his training." Morris compresses his lips, more in realization than anger, "I admit you have a good reputation of saving the world from the gloom and doom of everyday stress, but when it comes to helping a newcomer fit into this gig, you have a lousy way of showing him the ropes."

"What we do to newcomers is our business!" Derek exclaims, "Commoners like you shouldn't even be allowed to interfere with our daily routine!"

"Hey, come on, guys," J said with a shrug, "I checked him out earlier. These kids're just trying to help keep us afloat, given our rocky situation in the past six months. I believe they could do some good around these parts, don'cha think?"

Derek frowns before turning to leave. Morris looks at him before tossing the tray of sandwiches towards J and walking out after him. Hajime watches the door slide shut, then turns his attention to the second ranked Agent.

"Sorry for the outburst earlier," he said.

"Well, you were right on the lousy training bit," J said as he placed the tray on the nightstand beside the bed and took one of the sandwiches off it, "Everyone's been so busy lately, we hardly have time to improve our own talents, let alone help a newbie get a feel of world-wide motivation. You just gotta know how to accept help when needed."

* * *

"This is really frustrating," Kahn mutters as he places his forehead on his folded hands, "I should've sent Morris and Derek to find Spin. Now, not only have they failed to get him back, we have one of the culprits running loose in our base."

"It was their fault for making him go with them to Japan," Chieftain grumbles, "They're the only ones who know what the captors look like. Therefore they should be the ones to find Spin rather than send out some fresh Agents and risk getting tricked into another all day search that'll lead to them coming back here with bags in their eyes."

"Even so, it was out of line for us to be sending them out in the condition they were in. While the rest of us were in our beds, catching Zs, the girls were out with nothing but fatigue and thoughts of the future running through their minds." Kahn sighs and leans back in his chair, "Oh well... At least they managed to slow him down some. I doubt, even if he did manage to break through the effects of the chloroform, he'd be able to go far before he loses consciousness again. We'll just keep searching the place until we..." he's cut off by voices speaking from behind the door of the command room.

"What if J's right, Derek?" Morris asked from outside, "I mean, he's never wrong when he bumps into someone and reads their vibes. And besides, with things this hectic with our duties and all, I think the outside help would benefit our cause."

"I've trusted J's 'vibe touching' ability as far as I can twist my body," Derek said, "Even if what he says is true, I'm not about to sit back and let those kids get away with what they did to our agency thus far. Especially with that test only three days away."

The doors slide open as Morris and Derek walk into the command room, Morris bearing a worried look while Derek remains stern.

"Well, can't you at least think about the kid's condition? I mean, I doubt he's well enough to be tied to a chair and questioned to the point of insanity."

"What's all this?" Kahn asks, gaining the attention of the two back-up singers. Morris was about to speak when Derek gets in front of him.

"We've located the whereabouts of that kid who eluded us earlier," he said sternly.

* * *

J heads back to his quarters with a bottle of root beer, catching sight of Chieftain marching in his direction with Morris chasing after him.

"Chieftain, can't this wait until tomorrow or something!?" Morris pleads.

"We've wasted enough time!" Chieftain growls, "I want that kid now!"

"Now what's going on?" J sighs as Chieftain takes his wallet out and shoves it towards a panel next to the door bearing a hole shaped like the badge.

"Derek snitched," Morris said, "He doesn't seem to care what you think as long as Spin's back in Central by the end of the week." J sighs again and rubs his forehead.

"That's Derek for ya," he mutters, "Always follows the book rather than his own will."

The door beeps several times before flying open. Chieftain marches into the room, catching sight of something laying in J's bed. J and Morris walk in after the top Agent, finding him marching towards the bed in a huff.

"Alright, kid," he growls, "The jig's up! There's nowhere left for you to run!"

"Chieftain, this really isn't necessary!" Morris said, walking over to his high ranking partner as he grabs the lump under the covers, "I mean, the kid's been gassed something bad. There's no way he could be..." he stops when Chieftain hauls the covers up to find Lava hiding beneath it, "...in bed...?"

"Aw! You lost, Mr. Chieftain!" the Siberian husky whines to a dumbstruck Chieftain, "Here! Let me give you a sympathetic kiss!"

"A what!?" he yelps before feeling Lava's wet tongue run up his chin. Gagging, Chieftain throws her across the room as she flips over and lands on her feet before nearing the wall.

"Lava?" J asks with a raised eyebrow, "What're you doing sleeping in my bed?"

"Mr. Tanaka wants to play a hiding game with Mr. Chieftain!" Lava said happily, "I think it's stupid that he would want to play such a game when all he did was jump on top of the TV and eat one of the club sandwiches Morris made."

"He's where!?" Chieftain spat while wiping some of the slobber from his face. The three Agents look towards the top of the large TV to find Hajime laying on his side with his cheek resting on his hand, picking his teeth with one of the plastic toothpicks used to hold the club sandwiches together.

"He recovered fast," J said, scratching the back of his head. Chieftain growls and runs over to the large TV.

"You get down from there this minute," he demanded. Hajime continues to run the toothpick along the spaces between his teeth, not even acknowledging his presence, "I know you can speak English, brat! Now get off that TV!"

"Don't wanna," Hajime said, licking his teeth.

"Why not!?"

"Didn't say please." Chieftain growls as Hajime sticks the toothpick in his mouth and moves his hand to scratch his thigh.

"I don't have time to play games with you, brat!" he yells while the rookie Ouendan places his chin on his hand and turns away to yawn, "Your cronies have one of our men and I demand you give him back or else!"

"Or else what? You gonna give me a spanking? I must be a very bad boy; having to follow the orders of our leader." Hajime glances over to Morris, "By the way, that sandwich you made could use a little more mayo. Helps get rid of the bitter taste of the romaine you substituted for standard lettuce."

"That was romaine?" J mutters, crossing his arms and cocking his head to the side, "I almost thought Morris didn't check the expiration date on the lettuce he used to make those sandwiches."

"I'm hurt, J!" Morris mockingly pouts as he places his hand on his chest, "I would've thought you'd love what I had to improvise after Jean and Lau started fighting over the last head of lettuce."

"Will you two stop talking like this situation is normal!?" Chieftain exclaims, darting a glare at his two lower-ranking subordinates, "In case you forgot, we have a soon-to-be Agent in captivity and this kids are trying to keep him from reaching that goal!"

"Again with the naivety? And I thought the reason our leader couldn't establish an alliance with you is because of that stupid emo-doohickey." Hajime sits up, Indian style as he rests his elbows on his legs, "The way I'm seeing it now, you could take one look at how we try to save the world and think we're ridiculing your agency."

"How dare you call our Em-O-Meter a joke!" Chieftain exclaims, "I'll have you know that device has helped us save people for over 10 years! Besides, what makes you think you can do better than us!?"

"When it comes to cheering for the world, there is no superiority. You have your method of cheering, we have our own. There're very few reasons why we shouldn't think we're better than one another."

"Then explain why you interfered with our method if you think we work the same way," said a voice from behind. Everyone turns to see Kahn walk into the room with Derek beside him.

"Well, well," Hajime said with a cocky grin, "Check out that monstrous jiving spirit. You must be the leader of this agency."

"I believe I asked you a question," Kahn said, more stern than irritated, "It was bad enough that your organization poisoned two of our most inspirational Agents against our technology," his frown tightens, "But to show up and take their son away from us when he was in the midst of getting his license..."

"Okay, first off, we only taught Twist and Twirl to use their hearts to examine a person's spirit. What they did afterwards is their decision." Hajime jumps off the TV and lands in front of Kahn, placing his hands behind his back, "And we 'took' Spin because you had way too much on your hands to bother tending to his training. He doesn't want to put up with Wyatt Urp because he's afraid he'll get hammered again like he did the first day of his training and the Divas prefer to use him as a ticket to Japan rather than help him figure out the mechanics of your holosimulator."

"Wyatt Urp!?" Chieftain exclaims, "You take that back you little...!" he attempts to charge Hajime only to have him lunge to the side, throwing his arms out as he did, causing the top Agent to trip over his exposed leg and tumble down the room before hitting the wall at the far end.

"I admit we didn't have a whole lot of time to assist Spin in preparing for his test," Kahn said, barely acknowledging what had just happened, "But we still would have been able to help him improve on his performance with or without your help."

"Oh really?" Hajime stands up and turns his head away while putting his hands behind his back again, his eyes still focused on Kahn, "You think we don't know how you prepare newcomers for the duty ahead? Your method of preparation may be different from ours, but it still comes out the same. The first day of prep involves an observation of how much the newcomer knows their own talents; offering tips on how to improve when needed. Then, once they've fully mastered the art of their talents, we start adding distractions, and watch to see how they'll react to them. Those distractions increase over the course of the week until the day of the test comes. During the test, the newcomer is given a situation which he has to resolve using what he's learned in the week since he first joined. If he manages to resolve the situation, he gets his license."

"How do we even know what you're doing to Spin will benefit his test in the next three days?" Derek demands, "Because from what I'm hearing right now, you have a better time torturing people rather than help them get what they want."

"As I've already told Spin, we don't have a whole lot of technological equipment to prepare for what goes on in the world," Hajime said, eyeing Derek, "We use modern day objects to simulate whatever distractions could ruin our performance and we use our hearts to seek out whatever good soul is in desperate need of a motivational push. They may not pass for whatever you set up in your base, but it's enough to make us understand that cheering for the world isn't as easy as opening a book."

"Then prove it! If you think you're as much of an importance as we are, then show us how you lift the weight off people's shoulders!"

"Love to take the offer, but my comrades are sleeping right now and it wouldn't do good to wake them up in the middle of the night."

"The challenge Derek is making doesn't have to involve a three-man performance," Kahn said, gaining a frown from the rookie Ouendan, "One performer per team will do just fine." He looks over to Derek, "Agent Derek. If you don't mind, please escort Mister..."

"Tanaka," Hajime spoke bluntly, "Hajime Tanaka." Kahn's frown increases slightly.

"Escort Mr. Tanaka to the holodeck. I will set up the simulation from the Command Room." With that, Kahn heads out of the room. Derek walks over to Hajime and grabs his arm.

"Come on, you," he said gruffly as he walks out after Kahn, dragging the rookie Ouendan with him.

"There's no way that brat can perform through whatever program the Commander sets up!" Chieftain snorts as he gets up and readjusts his cowboy hat.

"I don't know," J said confidently, "If Twist has as much confidence in these guys as they do themselves, I have a feeling that kid's performance is gonna surprise us."

* * *

Starr lies in bed, her blood-shot eyes staring at the ceiling and her face slightly wrinkled from the lack of sleep. Her mind, clouded with the thoughts of what she thinks the Ouendan are doing to Spin, not only prevents her from getting the rest she needs, but also fills her with anger and doubt over what she could've done to prevent the scenario from ever being played.

_And you think you have the right to talk about someone's feelings? _Ryuta's voice repeats in her mind, _The next time you go spouting smack like that, take a moment to ask your friend what he wants before deciding what's best for him!_

"Who do they think they are, speakin' to me like they know a person's feelings?" Starr mutters to herself, "No one in that little gang cares what people think as long as they get what they want." She sits up, gripping her blankets as the thought continued to sink into her mind, "I bet they're angry 'cause there's an organization that actually stands up for people's feelings. And instead of challenging us themselves, they decide to take our members and brainwash them against us."

Starr throws the covers off as she leaps out of bed and heads out of her quarters, "Well, if they don't want to understand how lives should be lived, they have no right to continue going around, thinking they can rule everyone. I'm going to make sure they never control another person's life again."

* * *

The double doors slide open as Derek pulls Hajime into a large, dark room with yellow squares making up the entire dome-shaped area. The moment the doors slide shut, a holographic screen appears before the two, showing Kahn sitting in his chair.

"Now that everyone is accounted for," he began, "We will begin the simulation. I will be observing you from the command room and record your progress into our database. Make sure you at least survive the first half of the song."

Hajime snorts, "You talk as if I don't know what a hologram is. Just try your luck. I'll let you know when I've had enough." Kahn frowns again as he reaches behind him and hits a button, causing the window to flicker off.

The minute it disappeared, the tails of Hajime's bandana, gaku-ran trench coat and the ribbons tied to his shoulders start to rise as the room turned from a scenery of squares to the vastness of space. He felt his body being lifted and a slight increase in temperature due to the lack of gravity, but was still able to breathe normally. Hajime looks over to Derek, seeing him floating a few feet from him with his arms crossed as though he barely felt the effects of the atmosphere.

Music cues up as the scenery completes its transformation.

_How the hell did we wind up like this?  
Why weren't we able, to see the signs that we missed  
And try turn the tables_

As the song of Nickleback's "Someday" goes through its verse, two ships flew towards Hajime and Derek. One looked like the head of a chicken while the other resembled a squid. Inside the ships are a chicken and a squid-like creature in space uniforms trying to outrun each other.

When the two ships neared, Hajime felt his body drift towards the chicken-shaped ship; his feet planted firmly onto the surface of the hood. Derek gets drawn to the squid-like ship, the same scenario occurring.

_I wish you'd unclench your fists, and unpack your suitcase  
Lately there's been too much of this  
But don't think it's too late_

_Nothing's wrong, just as long as  
You know that someday I will_

When the moment to dance arrives, the two strut off their own form of performance; Derek dancing his best moves while Hajime bust out in less-than-aggressive, but rhythmic hand signals and other forms of male cheerleading.

_Someday, somehow  
I'm gonna make it all right but not right now  
I know you're wondering when  
(You're the only one who knows that)  
Someday, somehow  
I'm gonna make it all right but not right now  
I know you're wondering when_

Kahn watches the performance from the large monitor in the command room, J, Chieftain and Morris crowding around him. Chieftain frowns as Hajime's performance.

"You call that dancing!?" he snaps, "What the hell is he trying to pull!?"

"Actually, that is dancing," J said, placing his hands on his side, "From what Twist taught me, Ouendan are male, Japanese cheerleaders who use a manlier form of cheer moves to the beat of drums."

"Except this Ouendan is using music to drive his rhythmic performance," Kahn mutters, eyeing the meter of the characters Hajime and Derek are cheering for, finding both percentages battling for supremacy, "Let's see how it'll fair in this battle."

_Well I'd hope that since we're here anyway  
That we could end up saying  
Things we've always needed to say  
So we could end up staying  
Now the story's played out like this  
Just like a paperback novel  
Let's rewrite an ending that fits  
Instead of a Hollywood horror_

_Nothing's wrong, just as long as  
You know that someday I will_

As the ships flew through space, the two pilots began firing at each other, all the while dodging whatever shots fly in their way. One of the shots hit the chicken's spaceship, knocking Hajime off the hood and sending him spiraling a foot from it as it smolders from the heat.

Hajime stops in an upside down position as the squid's spaceship flies ahead with Derek staring at him sternly. Gritting his teeth, the rookie Ouendan swam back to the chicken's spaceship as they chased after their opponents; Hajime continuing his performance with Derek soon joining him.

_Someday, somehow  
I'm gonna make it all right but not right now  
I know you're wondering when  
(You're the only one who knows that)  
Someday, somehow  
I'm gonna make it all right but not right now  
I know you're wondering when  
(You're the only one who knows that)_

The two ships eventually come across a giant space station with an opening big enough to fit one ship per entry. The chicken and squid panic as they start shoving at each other to gain a lead on their race. The chicken's ship manages to shove the squid's out of the way, sending it crashing into the corner of the opening.

Derek is thrown from the ship as it topples back from the impact. He struggles to push himself into an upright position, catching sight of Hajime stretching his corner lips and sticking his tongue out as the ship he stood on flies down the tunnel. Aggravated, the fourth ranked Agent swam back to the squid's spaceship as the chase and performance continues.

_How the hell did we wind up like this?  
Why weren't we able, to see the signs that we missed  
And try to turn the tables  
Now the story's played out like this  
Just like a paperback novel  
Let's rewrite an ending that fits  
Instead of a Hollywood horror_

The pilots of their respected spaceships began firing at each other as they weave through the narrow hallways. Fed up, the two hit a button, causing a compartment to open on the hood of their ships and a laser rifle to pop out, firing a thin beam at each other. Both beams hit, not only knocking each other into a wall, but throwing Hajime and Derek from the hood again.

The two land safely on their feet, watching as the smoldering ships stumble down the hallway away from them. They look at each other in annoyance before dashing off after the ships.

_Nothing's wrong, just as long as  
You know that someday I will_

Hajime and Derek managed to catch up with the two, finding they were continuing their aerial combat in the cargo room of the station. They glance at each other again before going into another performance.

_Someday, somehow  
I'm gonna make it all right but not right now  
I know you're wondering when  
(You're the only one who knows that)  
Someday, somehow  
I'm gonna make it all right but not right now  
I know you're wondering when_

The ships eventually run out of fuel and crash in different areas of the cargo room. The chicken and squid leap out and began running around, shooting at each other with laser pistols. Hajime and Derek duck behind the hallway leading to the cargo room to avoid getting caught in the blast; both watching to see who was going to out beat who.

Hajime suddenly shoots a glare behind him before diving out of the spot he hid in. Before Derek could figure out why, a laser shot hit the wall once occupied, causing a huge explosion that took out most of its content. He looks to where the shot came from, finding Starr marching towards him with a laser pistol in her hand.

"Starr, what're you doing!?" Derek yelps.

"He has to be stopped," She growled tiredly, "He and those thugs who took Spin. They're nothing but trouble."

"Were you spending the entire day welled up on that thought!?" Hajime exclaims, "It's no wonder you're emotions are all over the place!"

"Shut up!" Starr snaps, "You don't know anything about emotions! You just force people to think like you so you'd have a reason to feel superior!" Hajime's frown increases, "That's why you took Spin, isn't it!? Because you're afraid an agency that actually cares about people would damage your pride and make you feel less important!"

"Did you bother asking anyone about what's going on!? Or are you so exhausted, you let your mind tell you what we've been up to the last two days!?"

"Don't try and play mind games with me! You may have tricked the other Agents into believing your lies, but I've seen for myself what your true intentions are! I'm going to make sure you never torture people again!" with that, Starr points her laser pistol at Hajime and began firing, forcing him to dodge them using his cheerleading moves.

After what seemed like a minute, Starr feels a pair of arms clamp around her shoulders and haul her off the ground.

"That's enough, Starr!" J yells, straining Starr as she struggles to pull free.

"Let go of me!" she screamed, "I have to stop him!"

"You're tired, Starr! Get some rest!"

Morris rushes up beside Starr, grabbing the pistol and struggling to pull it from her hand. Growling in anger, she kicks at him while fighting to break his grip. The battle eventually causes her to release a wild shot into the upper corner of the doorway, sending debris raining down towards Derek.

"Yo, Derek!" J yells as the struggle comes to an abrupt halt over the predicament nearing the red afro Agent. Hajime blinks in shock as he sprints from the spot he stood on and shoves Derek out of the way just as the debris made contact with the floor, releasing dust that obscured both occupants of the area.

The trio watch as the dust cloud expands before the scenery reverts back to the graph-like room. Derek and Hajime are seen laying on the floor; Derek on his back while Hajime laid in a twisted position with his upper body laying flat on the ground, his left arm sandwiched between his chest and floor and his right arm stretched out in front of him, and his lower body laying on the right side.

Derek grunts as he sits up, grabbing his head in slight pain. J drops a horrified Starr as both he and Morris rush over to him.

"Derek! You alright!?" Morris asks, helping him to his feet.

"I'm fine...but..." Derek trails off, glancing down at Hajime as he groans and pushes himself onto his back. J walks over to Hajime and picks him up, throwing his right arm around the back of his neck while keeping a leveled hold of his knees.

"C'mon," he said, "let's get you to the infirmary." He carries Hajime out of the room as Morris and Derek follow after him, leaving Starr to sit and stare ahead in shock and horror.

End Notes:

1. To those who don't know Wyatt Urp, he's the main character of an old, comical song (of the same name) who causes someone to burp whenever they hear the name.

2. Jean and Lau will be introduced later, so I won't explain who they are (But if any of you have played Multiplayer mode before, I'm sure you've already gotten the idea of who they are).

3. I know there was a story behind in the "Chicken vs. Squid" scenario of EBA's Multiplayer mode, I just didn't feel like stuffing it in because most of my replay saves are nearing the S-Rank and it'd be frustrating to try and play through them for the soul purpose of making the competition scene more enjoyable.


	8. Episode 8: The Moral of Trust

Episode 8 – The Moral of Trust

Spin laid on his stomach, snoozing peacefully, though having clouded thoughts sing him a lullaby wasn't the kind of sleep aide he had in mind. The thoughts that put him to sleep often revolved around whether or not the whole incident was his fault when he decided to go to Japan rather than spend the week given to him on practicing for his assessment test; probably avoid an unneeded and dreary tradeoff.

He's suddenly woken up by a blaring noise that all but worsened his slight hard of hearing. Screaming in surprise, he scrambles out of bed before turning to sit on his rump, leaning on his hands and struggling to catch his breath.

"Hey...wha...huh...!?" he stammers, more startled than groggy from the sudden wakeup call.

"Are you planning on sleeping in bed all day!?" booms a voice. Spin looks up to find Kai towering over him with an air horn in his hand, "Hurry up and get ready! You have wasted enough time as it is!"

"The sun's not even up," Spin grumbles as he pushes his shades up to rub the sleep from his eyes, "What time is it?"

"It is fifteen minutes after five," Kai said, "You will wake up at five in the morning for the remainder of the week, and most likely for as long as you will spend at the EBA." He thrusts his thumb towards the door, "Hurry up and get something to eat. You do not plan to train on an empty stomach, do you?"

Spin wanted to ask if all this was going on because of what happened last night, but reading Kai's spirit seem to suggest the stress had all but vanished after sleeping it off. Yawning, he gets up and heads out towards the living room, finding Ryuta, Saito and Suzuki already sitting around the 2ft table, eating different assortments of rice, salmon and stew. Ryuta didn't have his hair up in a topknot, revealing its length as hanging close to his shoulders, as well as being less wild than the rest of the hair on his head.

"Well, look who finally woke up," Ryuta said, picking up a small portion of sliced salmon.

"Finally...?" Spin grumbles, sitting on an empty cushion and picking up one of the small bowls stacked near the electric rice steamer, "I don't sleep that heavily, do I?"

"Doumeki-sama try wake with pot and pan for 15 minute," Suzuki snickers while pouring soy sauce on his curry, "Spin-dono sleep through noise while annoy others. Doumeki-sama fed up; dug up horn from basement."

"You seem peppy today," Spin said, scooping up small piles of rice and dumping them into the bowl, "Last night, everyone stopped talking, finished dinner and went to bed."

"Hajime wants to help further establish our trust with the agency," Ryuta said, picking up a small clump of rice with his chopsticks, "Its best that we use as much of the time he's spending over at EBA to get you up to snuff with your training before your Commander decides to take you back."

Spin reaches over and takes a fork from a wooden cup of chopsticks, spoons and forks, "You're not worried that somethin' might've happened to him durin' the trip back to Central?"

"I checked up on him when Kai started all that racket trying to wake you up. Still recovering from the gas, but find nonetheless. Seems that friend of yours got to him before any of the other Agents could brashly interrogate him."

"I jealous!" Suzuki grumbles, enviously scarfing his curry, "Tanaka-sama first to challenge by Agent! Get to see how Agent train for cheer for world!"

"Challenged!?" Spin yelps, "And you think that's somethin' to be jealous about!? They probably usin' the holodeck to set up their dance-off!"

"I wouldn't worry about him," Ryuta said after scooping, chewing and swallowing a few mouth full of rice, "I'm sure whatever program they're using to challenge Hajime would help benefit his future missions. He's nuts about trying new techniques to step up his performance." He then grins while picking up another slice of salmon, "And who knows. This could be a fun game for us to get into when there's no one to cheer for."

Spin hums a bit as he scoops up a clump of rice and chews on it.

* * *

J sits in a rotating chair in the infirmary, holding an x-ray up to the light, revealing the bones of the left arm. He sighs a bit in relief as he places it on the table beside him and picks up another sheet to hold up to the light seconds before he heard groaning. Looking to the source, he sees Hajime laying in the infirmary bed behind him, glasses removed, eyes squeezed shut and trembling in pain.

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty awakens," he says jokingly as he turns to sit backwards in the chair, "How ya feelin'?"

"Terrible..." Hajime mumbles painfully, "Feels like every bone in my body's crushed..."

"When the Commander saw what Starr was doing, he cut the weight of the debris in half, allowing you to escape with some minor bruises." He then holds up Hajime's glasses, the left side mildly squashed and cracked while the nose piece is bent into a somewhat backward "N" shape, "Can't say the same 'bout your glasses, though."

Hajime sighs painfully and opens his eyes halfway, "I was thinking of getting new glasses anyway. Wearing strapless during a cheer started to become a pain after a while."

J places the glasses next to the x-ray photos piled on the table, "Well you shouldn't worry too much about the excruciating pain. It should go away in a couple of hours."

Hajime shuts his eyes and trembles in pain again, "Are you sure nothing's broken...? 'Cause I can't seem to move my left arm or right leg without feeling a stab of pain in my joints..."

J frowns as he pulls the covers off the bed, finding the muscle mass of Hajime's left arm and right leg a few inches larger than the rest of his body. Cringing, he reaches over and flexes his left elbow and wrist barely an inch before seeing him wince in pain. He does the same to the knee and ankle joints of his right leg, getting the same response.

"Looks to me like your fall, coupled with the pressure of the debris, may have sprained your joints," J sighs as he pulls the covers back up to Hajime's neck, "You'll probably have to wear a sling for a while and carry a crutch to keep the pressure off your leg." He leans against the backrest, furrowing his eyebrows in sympathy, "I gotta say, though. Watching you compete against Derek up 'til that fiasco was kinda entertaining. You two would've tied if your performance hadn't dropped ten percent near the end of the song."

Hajime sighs again as he turns his head away from J, "Let me guess. Your Commander proved we were nowhere near the expectations of EBA and convinced you to stop believing in our similarities." J's furrowed eyebrows tighten in confusion as he tries to sport his trademark grin.

"What're you talkin' about?" he asked, slapping his hand on Hajime's shoulder, "You may not have won that competition but you did enjoy it, right?" his cocky grin suddenly fades upon feeling an emotional pang pulsing in Hajime's spirit, "Hey...what's with the blues? You're not upset 'cause you lost, are you?"

"You wouldn't understand with your range of spiritual senses..."

J grins again, rubbing Hajime's shoulder, "Try me. If I don't believe you, I'll just get a second opinion from someone else's vibes."

Hajime heaves another sigh as he turns his head towards the ceiling, "Don't get me wrong...the meat of the competition was thrilling... It's the breading your Commander put around it that killed off most of the fun..."

* * *

Missy and Foxx wander the halls of EBA Central, Foxx yawning while Missy knotted her pigtails.

"I'm worried about Starr," Missy said, "She hasn't answered her door since we woke up this afternoon."

"You know Starr," Foxx said, "After being out on a mission for a long time, she'd be too zonked out to even acknowledge anyone knocking on her door." Her expression grimly darkens, "Still...you may be right about her behavior. Out of all of us, she seemed the most traumatized about the event that happened two days ago. We should probably keep an eye on her until..." she stops when she sees Morris and Derek standing outside the doors leading to the infirmary.

"Hey, guys!" Missy calls out, running over to them. She then notices a grim look on their face, "Is something wrong?"

Before either could say anything, J walks out of the room, scratching the side of his head. Derek confronts him.

"How is he?" he asked.

"Well, nothing's broken other than his glasses," J began, "But the pressure of the debris that fell on him sprained his arm and leg. I doubt he'll be doing any cheering for the next two months."

"Debris? What do you mean?" Foxx asked worriedly.

"Let's just say you might want to keep a close watch on Starr," J said, "She's being a tad bit...how should I say this..."

"Onnagurui," said a voice. Everyone turns to see Hajime standing near the doorway; his left arm bound to a sling and a black, metal crutch strapped to his right arm to prevent him putting too much pressure on his sprained leg; his glasses, being smashed, lopped to one side of his face, only allowing him to see clearly from his left eye. Foxx and Missy cover their mouths in shock as Hajime glances over to them, "I suggest you go pick her up and take her to her room. She's passed out from fatigue and shock of what she did earlier."

The two Divas look at each other in overwhelming fear as they turn and rushed back the way they came. The Agents watch them leave before turning their attention back to Hajime, Derek scratching his head.

"Hey...about earlier..." he muttered.

"Don't," Hajime interrupts, taking his hand off the handle of the crutch to wave his arm, "You're not the one who owes me an apology. You just wanted to see for yourself why our squadron is so intent on trying to gain your trust."

He then glances behind him. Everyone follows his gaze to find Chieftain standing at the other end of the hallway, staring at Hajime in bitter frustration.

"The Commander wants to talk to you," he said, turning around, "Follow me." He walks off with Hajime hobbling close behind. J, Morris and Derek look at each other before following after them.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the fields three feet from the dojo.

"KAISHI!!" Kai shouts.

Spin, wearing his familiar set of headphones, begins busting his dance moves to the beat of the song he downloaded from EBA Central. A minute into the song, Kai throws his right hand up, ordering Suzuki to pull on one of the ropes in his hands. A plank slides off one of the trees and flies towards Spin, forcing him to pivot out of the way in the most dazzling maneuver known to man.

Another minute later Kai throws his other hand up, ordering Saito to release one of the ropes, sending another plank towards Spin as he lunges to the side, arms stretched behind him as the plank comes to a stop, narrowly missing his knee by three inches.

"Well, well," Anna said as she walks over to Ryuta, who's sitting on the backyard pouch, his hair finally done up in a topknot, "I see our little Agent's starting mature on his skills. Hard to believe that, just two days ago, he was a complete mess."

"Spin like Hajime!" Aoi pipes up, "Alway try new challenge!"

"Can't disagree to that," Ryuta said, "I think the other Agents are gonna have a problem keeping him under control."

"I worry about Hajime," Aoi said, furrowing her eyebrows, "Spirit in pain since two hour ago."

"Yeah," Anna mutters, "Do you think Hajime had a little too much fun over there?"

"Won't know for sure until we see him again," Ryuta said, his mood darkening, "Which could be sooner than expected."

* * *

Kahn sits below the bright, giant monitor as the events that occurred a couple hours ago replay onscreen. He hears the doors slide open, but doesn't turn around, knowing it was Hajime, accompanied by Chieftain, J, Morris, and Derek.

"It seems things have gotten slightly out of hand," Kahn began, "Nonetheless, I am indebted to you for risking your own life to save one of my men's." he turns to face Hajime, "I will have Agents Morris and Derek take you back to Japan and pray you don't try this stunt again."

"Still don't believe me, do you?" Hajime growls in frustration, "That our squadron can do as much of a good job of cheering for the world as you do."

"I admit you have a method of performance completely different from our own," Kahn said, his frown increasing, "But it's going to take more than that to make me believe you have the potentials to be like EBA. From my observation, you are nothing more than kids trying to follow in our footsteps."

"How can you say that as fact? The characters we helped aren't even real. How is that similar to cheering to a living, breathing person?"

"That is true. When dancing to simulated programs, the only thing measured is how well a person performs. But it doesn't exclude the fact that you are nothing like us when you use low-cost equipment and silly beliefs to save the people from stress and anxiety."

"That 'silly belief' is what kept Japan relying on us for many years. If we had to rely on something other than our hearts, people would think we'd cheer for anyone in trouble, regardless of personality, and revoke our aide."

"The only thing an organic heart knows how to do is pump blood and oxygen through the body to keep us alive. It can't sense or see spirits from within the body; therefore it can't outmatch the capabilities of a computer that can do ten-times more than display an object." Hajime grips the handle of his metal crutch, "The only conclusion I found is that you take wild guesses as to who needs help and claim that it was your heart that lead you to them. That lie may have worked in making my prized Agents less dependant on our Em-O-Meter, but I will no longer stand for your continued interference, nor will I allow you to turn any more of my Agents into vagabonds who believe they know who to help without the use of our technology."

Kahn turns his back on Hajime, "Spin is coming back with us. He will be taught how to properly motivate people and he will understand the true meaning of lifting their spirits. Tell your friends to stop pretending they can be like us and find something more humane to do with your talents."

Hajime turns and hobbles out of the room as Morris and Derek walk out after him, more worried than expressed. J watched as the door slid shut behind them before walking over to Kahn and grabbing his shoulder, his frown increasing in aggravation.

"So he was right," he growled low enough for Kahn to hear, "You didn't use the holodeck just to observe his talents, did you? You wanted to shut them out for good."

"I only did what was necessary to keep the agency inline and stop freelancers from swindling their way into our daily duties," Kahn muttered, barely acknowledging J's increased frustration, "It's time you stop following the lies those Ouendan poisoned into Twist's mind and learn to realize there is no such thing as supernatural abilities."

"No, Commander," J seethed his free hand clenched and throttling, "It's time you stop assuming organizations who use low-grade equipment and illogical skills to save people from stress are cheap knock-offs and learn to think outside the box for once!" he then took his hand off Kahn's shoulder and storms out of the room.

* * *

Sayaka walks into the living room of the dojo, finding Aoi, Kai and Suzuki sitting around the table. Aoi had her knees up with one arm around them, running her finger along the surface of the floor. Kai sat on the futon with his eyes closed while Suzuki sat on the beanie mattress with an aggravated look on his face.

"**I'm guessing you felt it too?**" she asked.

"**That Commander of theirs is stubborn!**" Suzuki seethed, "**Calling the heart a mere artery that only knows how to pump blood onto ones body! No respect to human anatomy whatsoever!**"

"**This is a very difficult situation for us,**" Kai said, "**Not only has he humiliated our squad by making Hajime perform to a non-existent being, but he has also based his observation over that competition to further conclude that we're nothing more than cheap wannabes trying to be like them.**"

"**Maybe we shouldn't have let Spin go with Ryuta and the others...**" Sayaka mutters, "**Since those Agents are escorting Hajime back here, they might try to take him away before his training is complete.**"

"**Spin already knows what's going on,**" Kai said, "**And he feels he's caused enough trouble for us, even though the fault wasn't his to begin with. The only thing we can do at this point is pray that he surpasses the obstacles presented to him and achieve his goal of being the EBA's next of kin.**"

Sayaka sighs and looks down in worry.

* * *

Hajime sat in the back of the EBA convertible with Morris as Derek drove down the streets of Tokyo. The trip was silent as the Agents were too nervous of Hajime's feelings to want to strike up a conversation.

After a moment, Morris glances over to Hajime, who continues to do nothing but stare out the side of the car with his good arm propped on the side door and his cheek resting on his hand.

"You shouldn't take the Commander's words too seriously," he said, "I mean, if he were to set up a challenge with somethin' other than the holodeck..."

"He used the holodeck because it's an easier approach to making us 'open our eyes to the truth'," Hajime interrupts, "It wouldn't do his reputation any good if he were to use real competition that's only going to get humiliated when forced to follow orders."

Derek's frowns in shock, "W-Wait a minute! You knew the challenge was fixed the whole time!?"

"Fixed?" Morris mutters.

"It's going to take more than the distance between Jonouchi's quarters and where the command room is to stab me in the back," Hajime snorts, "Your Commander altered the programming of the simulation to make me lose no matter how hard I perform. He plans to toss us into a window seat with this crushing defeat, not only to make the Agents currently employed see us for who he thinks we are, but also keep future generations from falling for our 'lies'."

"Then...if you knew he was gonna cheat, why didn't you...!?"

"It wouldn't matter what I say at this point," Hajime interrupts again, "Even if he admits that he altered the competition, he'll still deem us vagabonds and demand we stop getting in his way. And I'm not in a position to keep pressuring him to a point where he'll see us as more than that. It's best to just go home and leave the pressuring to our leader." He then glances ahead, "Speaking of which..."

Following his gaze, Morris and Derek saw Ryuta walking in their direction with Anna and Spin walking beside him; Saito following close behind. Saito held a couple bags of groceries while the others carried pink, plastic bags full of dim sum.

"They the rest of your squad?" Morris asked.

The small group stops upon seeing the convertible pull up to the curb. Spin practically beams with excitement over seeing the familiar faces occupying the seats.

"Yo! There my dawgs!" Spin calls out. His excitement quickly fades upon seeing Hajime climb out of the convertible, exposing the extent of his injuries. Anna and Saito cringes in shock as Spin rushes over to the rookie Ouendan, "Haji!? What happened!?"

"Looks to me like he's had more than a little adventure," Ryuta said as he walks over to Hajime, shifting the bags to one arm, and tugging on his sprained elbow, watching him wince in pain.

"Yeah... Sorry for the mess," Morris said as he and Derek got out of the car and walked towards Ryuta, "You see..."

"We already know about your Commander's techno-headed persona," Anna snorts, planting her hands on her thighs, "That old coot has no respect for organizations who don't have fancy bases or rely on non-believable senses to save the world from stress and despair."

"He's just angry that we're trying to muscle our way into the agency using what we know to turn everyone against common knowledge," Hajime grumbles, "Anger then turned to fear when he found out that Jonouchi had started training to use his heart to seek spirits. He pretty much needed an excuse to beat us back, so why not start a competition he can control, make us lose, and use our defeat as an example to keep other 'carbon copies' from massacring the agency?"

"Getting him to respect our cause is going to be harder than we thought," Ryuta muttered, "Especially now that he's got extra cement to toughen the barrier between our organizations."

"The way I'm understanding this," Derek said, crossing his arms, "You don't seem to like computerized technology as much as everyone else."

"We only want the agency to stop treating that emotional radar system like a messiah to mankind," Ryuta said, eyeing Derek, "Advanced as it is from a typical polygraph, it still has the possibility of backfiring when tested on someone cynical enough to know and take advantage of its flaws."

"So you're saying we should just abandon the Em-O-Meter and use our hearts to look for people in distress?"

"Not abandon, just don't rely on it too much," Ryuta places his right hand onto his chest, "Using your hearts as a second opinion, you'll have a 99percent chance of knowing who you're really dealing with before taking action." He took his hand off and slides the bag onto his elbow as he crosses his arms, "But your Commander is so obsessed with intergalactic technology, he's lead himself to believe there's no such thing as supernatural abilities that can do as much of a good job, if not more, of knowing what a person is feeling or thinking."

"Well, if you believe the Commander's that stubborn, why not just let the Em-O-Meter blow up in his face?" Spin asked, "When he realizes the mistake he's made..."

"There's no reason to just brush off this issue when it comes to testing a person's faith," Ryuta interrupts, "Whether or not the ability to trust comes from the heart or computer, it can still betray us when someone of a cynical nature figures out its flaws. Therefore, if your Commander continues to pour his faith into that emotional radar system, and that person manages to turn it against him, he'll be so crushed by the results he'd shut down the agency and vow never to let anyone cheer for the world."

Morris and Derek cringe as they look at each other in worry.

"I didn't even think about that," Morris mutters.

"Even if what he says is true, how're we gonna run this across the Commander without him going into a half day lecture about 'reality'?" Derek asks.

"Well, if that happens, we can just rebuild EBA using what we know to make it a better agency to trust," Spin said.

"It's not that easy," Hajime said, "When building anything that involves saving the world, you have to gain the trust of everyone who hears about it. And since your Commander holds the records to everything in the agency, he could use them as evidence to prove that the new EBA can't be as reliable as the old one, kill the fanfare, and usher in an era of stress, anxiety and hatred." Spin cringes on that thought.

"That's one of the reasons we're trying to form an alliance with EBA," Ryuta said, "To make sure that scenario never comes to light. By getting them to open up to new ideas, they'll have little reason to think cheering for the world would be a mere pipedream."

"At this point, it'll be impossible," Morris said, "the Commander's already got his mind set on using the results of that rigged up competition to chase you away. And with J the only Agent trustworthy enough to learn your spirit sensing ability, there's no way you'll be able to change EBA's mind."

"Not to mention they'll turn a deaf ear towards your words if you try to talk to them again," Derek said, "When the Commander finalizes a theory, it'll take physical evidence to get EBA to change their mind."

"Physical evidence is about the only option we have left," Ryuta said, "Since EBA hardly acknowledged our sixth sense and called us vagabonds for showing up to help improve Spin's training, our only chance of combining our forces for the future ahead is to find and get involved in a not too dangerous competition and show them why we mean business."

"Any ideas how?" Morris asked.

"We can't be sure at the moment. Until we figure it out, it's best that we just went our separate ways, clean up the dirt your Commander all but unintentionally smeared onto our squadron, and devise a solution to getting EBA to understand our similarities and accept our help."

"Such a shame it had to end so soon," Anna sighs, crossing her arms in both frustration and sorrow, "Despite the rough moments we had, it was still kinda fun."

"Hey, no sweat y'all," Spin said with a partial shrug, "Once I get the hang of bein' an Agent I might drop by and visit ya."

"I guess that's one thing your Commander wouldn't be able to stop," Ryuta snickers slightly as he throws his arm around Spin's shoulders and knuckle rubs them.

After watching the convertible drive off with the Agents occupying both front and back seats, Anna slunk over to Hajime and threw her arm around his shoulder.

"**Well then,**" she said slyly, "**Which is going to make the day most enjoyable? The happy reunion with EBA, or the ratting Kai's gonna give you for going AWOL and nearly getting yourself killed?**"

"**C-can't you tell him to wait until tomorrow?**" Hajime mutters, "**Not exactly in good condition for an all night tirade...**"

"**Should've thought about that before you ran out on us,**" Ryuta said, throwing his arm around Hajime's shoulders, "**He's so going to pay you back for stealing the fun from us.**" Hajime slumps his shoulders and sighs in exasperation.

As the trio began pushing Hajime down the sidewalk, Saito took a glance behind him at a rat-shaped shadow hiding in the bushes of the park a second before following after them.

* * *

"**Really? Are you sure?**" a monstrous, blue rat asked as he took a bite out of a huge wheel of cheese.

"**Oh yes!**" Daai-Rat snickers as he sits on the rat's shoulder, rubbing his hands together, "**Now that the American is away from those Ouendan, Nii-chan, you can track him down and make him pay for making fun of me!**"

The giant rat snickers as he tosses the rest of the wheel into his mouth and swallows without chewing. He then stands up and points towards the horizon, "**Well then! Let's be off! The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can show everyone why you don't mess with the rat brothers!**"

The giant rat stomps through the forest, stopping at a beach, staring at the ocean tossing waves onto its sandy shores. He hums before sticking his toe into the water and yanking it out a split second later, shivering. The two stare at the water a while more before looking at each other in hesitation.

"**What say we try again tomorrow?**" the rat asked, nervously, "**That way we'll be energized enough to cause some monster trouble!**"

"**Yeah...that seems like the best choice,**" Daai-Rat laughed nervously as his monstrous brother turns and marches back into the forest like a triumphant soldier.

End Notes:

1. Just a bit of straightening out on the suffixes, even though "-dono" and "-sama" literally mean expressing someone as leader or respect, "-dono" holds more respect to a person than it's modern counterpart.

2. "Onnagurui" is Japanese for being girlishly crazy. There was a Japanese word for "crazy" but it looked too long to say in less than a few syllibles. "Kaishi" is another Japanese word for "start" or "begin".

2. I made up the extended version of J's name for reasons that will be explained later in the series.


	9. Episode 9: Moment of Truth

Episode 9 – Moment of Truth

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Kahn asked the next day after hearing Spin's side of the story, "After all, you were taken from our agency and pushed around by vagabonds for three days. I am willing to extend your training if you just say the word."

"I already told you, I'm fine," Spin said, waving his hand in confidence, "The guys you keep callin' imitators just wanna speed up my trainin' since things have been so hectic over the past few days. And you saw how I bust my moves when ya set up that mock test with the crazy taxi driver," he adds by pulling off a dazzling spin of his body, ending with a cocky shrug, "I think I'm ready for the real deal!"

Kahn sighs in hesitation, "Alright then. Go back to your quarters and get prepared. We'll call you when we're ready to start the test."

"Cool, man!" Spin said as he turns and heads out of the command room. Kahn watches the door slide shut before resting his lips on his folded hands.

"Maybe I am thinking to little of illogical things..." he mutters to himself before placing his chin on his folded hands, "Well...only way to know for sure is to watch and see what happens."

* * *

J walks into Spin's quarters, finding him laying on his bed, one foot resting on his knee as it swung to the beat of the song in his headphones.

"You sure are excited about this test, aren't you?" he asked, leaning against the wall.

"Sure am, dawg!" Spin laughs, "I didn't think it at first, but perhaps getting clobbered by planks actually did some good with my reflexes."

"Planks?" J asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Haji didn't tell ya, did he?" Spin asked, sitting up and pointing to the gaku-ran uniform he had been wearing since the first day of his "low-tech" training, "Well, let's just say I wasn't given this uniform 'cause they was tryin' to turn me into an Ouendan."

"I knew they were using some kind of low-cost items to simulate distractions. But I didn't think it was something that cheap."

"Hey, cheap or not, it helped me figure out how I can incorporate my suave dance moves into avoidin' anythin' that comes flyin' at me. I'm tellin' ya, man, I'm gonna be the Agent who'll burn up the competition!" he brought one knee up and leans against it, "By the way, who's this Jono-guy I heard about yesterday?"

J laughed a bit as he scratched his head, "Uh...yeah, that would be me. My parents wanted to name me something that didn't sound generic or unoriginal. Unfortunately, they were obsessed with a particular manga and decided to name me after one of the characters. Everyone tried to pronounce my name, but got fed up and just called me by my first initial." He then crosses his arms, "Caught me by surprise when Hajime chose to called me by my full name, so I didn't stop him from continuing."

Spin cocks his head to one side in bewilderment before another thought jumped into his mind, making him worried, "Oh yeah, I heard Starr had been raisin' hell since I went AWOL. Do you think I should go visit her and cheer her up some?"

J's cocky expression also darkens in remorse, "Maybe when you pass the test. Seeing her now before you even start it would only push her into more dilemmas if you wind up failing and have to spend another week on improvements."

"It's just...I expect she come runnin' towards me, either in hysterics or with questions on how I'm feelin'. But she hasn't even left her room since that day."

"You gotta remember, she hasn't slept in almost two days, so the whole thing is a total meltdown for her. But for the most part, I think her lambasting the Ouendan was a cover up to keep from blaming herself for stripping three days off your training regimen when she talked you into taking her and the other Divas to Japan. And I think the fact she hasn't come to see you since that moment is also another fear factor in that you might blame her for the onslaught."

Spin sighs a bit as he lays back down and places his hands behind his head, "Sometimes I wonder if I should've just asked them Divas to help me with my trainin' instead of givin' into their pleas and volunteerin' to drive them to Japan. Save both our organizations from any pressure."

J furrowed his eyebrows in sympathy, "Well, let's be honest. If you hadn't gone to Japan and encountered the Ouendan, I believe your chances of becoming an Agent would've been a lot lower since most of us'll be too busy with missions to try and help you. As I've already told Hajime, we just gotta know how to find help when needed."

"I just wish there was someway we can get the Commander to open up to them. I mean, three years spent tryin' to gain his trust, and he turns around 'n does more than shove it in their face?"

"You know the Commander. He prefers to listen to common sense rather than think outside the box like Twist and Twirl does." J shrugs, "To be honest, when I first joined, I thought the ability to see who is where is some crazy hoax they made up to hide some secret device they don't want anyone to know about. But when they disappeared six months ago, I began thinking about the whole spirit thing, decided to give it a shot and started my meditation sessions."

He crosses his arms, "For a month I wasn't able to see or feel anything, mostly because the three hours that I spent in meditation weren't as long as Twist had pointed out. Then one day, just when I was about to turn belief into fact, I accidentally bumped into someone. And just like that," he snaps his fingers, "for a split second I was able to feel and see that person's spirit. I was so excited that it actually worked, I continued the sessions every morning before I tend to my dogs and duties."

"I wonder if the Commander actually tried meditating, then got fed up when he couldn't even touch someone's spirits," Spin ponders.

"Who knows? What's fact is that he called the ability blasphemy and thought anyone who pours as much faith into it as he does that Em-O-Meter is in need of a serious head check." J the pushes off the wall, "Anyway, let's forget about hardships for now. Me 'n the guys got a little surprise for you. Call it our way of makin' you one with the gang." Spin sits up again as he points to the closet near the window, "Go take a look. I'm sure you'll like it."

Spin cocks his head to one side before hoping off the bed and heading over to the closet. Upon gazing into the interior, his mouth drops in shock.

"No way!" he shouts, pulling out a black suit identical to that of the Agents, "This really for me!"

"Yep. Not that I mind the Japanese school uniform they gave you, but I think it's better than having to dance in baggy pants and trench coats."

"Sweet man!" Spin laughs excitedly as he throws the gaku-ran uniform off and puts the suit on, examining himself in the full length mirror. He whistles as he strikes a pose, "I look hot, man!"

"Whoa! Not too much or you'll turn on the sprinklers!" J laughs as he brings his hands up in defense.

* * *

An hour later, J and Spin wandered the halls, talking amongst themselves when they noticed a 27-year-old man with brown, wavy, shoulder-long hair, walk towards them, wearing, what appears to be, a 15th century outfit complete with a green beret. He stops and smiles upon seeing the two appear in his line of sight.

"Ah, you must be the new kid on the block," the man said in a thick, Italian accent. He then takes Spin's hand and shakes it in formal greeting, "My name is Leo, ref of the Renaissance Kitchen downstairs."

"Ref?" Spin mutters in curiosity, "You mean like 'Iron Chef' ref?"

"But of course. You see, of the cuisines in existence, most of us seem to favor Asian and French food. The only problem is, the chefs they hired aren't getting along too well, so I was hired to keep them inline incase they try to kill each other before a dance-off can be declared."

"Ah, food and entertainment! Now that's the kind of thing that gets me even more excited about this job!" Spin laughs enthusiastically, "So, what'cha doin' down here?"

Leo cocks his head to one side, "Didn't you notice? I am playing a helpless character whom you have to encourage through the skills taught to you over the course of the past six days. It would be impossible to prove your worth if you were to perform to a mere hologram."

"Ah...that makes sense then," Spin said, scratching the back of his head.

"Well, I must be going. I want to be prepared for when I hear and see your beautiful performance." Leo bows gracefully before moving onward. Spin watches him go before blinking and looking over to J.

"Hey! If he's supposed to be my test, who's controllin' the kitchen!" he asked in shock.

"Oh, don't worry about that," J said with a wave of his hand, "We planned to draw straws, but because the coffees running late...again...we opted for something better."

* * *

"Why do you always have to make the coffee last?" Jean, the tall, thin, French chef with spiky, blonde hair, grumbled as he steadily chopped vegetables.

"Me!" Lau Pai Pai, the portly, short, Asian chef in a red, Chinese-style robe, hat and long pigtails, grumbled as he slowly stirred a pot of soup, "It was you who suggested we skip the coffee for later and focus on more 'important' factors!"

"And why would you listen to me when you don't even appreciate my cooking!" Jean yells, bending over to Lau's area only to have him practically shove his face into his.

"Because the last time I didn't, you started whining like a bossy little five-year-old until Leo told me to stop complaining and do what you suggested!" Lau screamed. The two turn to face each other, red in the face and growling before an even louder growl got their attention. They flinch and look towards Chieftain sitting on the throne in the center of the kitchen, glaring at them with his arms crossed while shaking in frustration. Panicked, the two scramble back to their designated spots and continue cooking.

* * *

"Do you really think it's a good idea taking advantage of Chief's caffeine withdrawal and makin' him baby-sit the two?" Spin asked after J explained the situation.

"As long as he gets his Joe, he doesn't care," J laughs, "And besides, once he gets it, he all but forgets the moment and goes back to his usual self."

A voice soon booms overhead, "Agent Spin. Please report to the Command Room for briefing on your test." The two look at each other.

"Well, this is it," J said, "The moment of truth." He lightly slugs Spin on the shoulder, "Knock 'em dead, kid." Spin nods as he turns and heads off towards the Command Room.

* * *

In 15th century Florence, Leo sits in the midst of a female crowd, happily drawing caricatures of those who ask for one. He smiles handsomely as he hands down a painting to one of the girls in waiting.

"A little sketch for you," he says dashingly. More women began to crowd around Leo, begging him to draw more pictures, but he waves to them calmly, "Sorry, but I must be on my way."

He walks through the streets of Florence a few minutes before stopping, throwing the pictures he drew to the ground in a dramatic, yet agonizing motion.

"No! It's not it!" he cries, "ART! What is it!" he then runs through the streets crying in angst, "The true beauty! What is it!"

He soon stops upon seeing a woman of Mona Lisa proportions cross his line of sight. Upon gazing at her expressionless demeanor, his heart races as though it were jacked up on adrenaline.

"V...V...V...VOLCANO!" he calls out, swaying in a dazzling motion. He glides up to the woman and grabs her shoulder, "Signorina!" the woman merely turns around to see him hold up a bouquet of roses, "You are the work of art I seek!"

Driven by passion, Leo starts drawing fountains of sketches portraying the woman, "So beautiful! You must come with me!"

The woman meagerly turns around, "No."

At this, Leo comes to a screeching halt, staring at her in shock, "Huh?" as the woman walks off, Leo starts to follow her, drawing up another portrait, "I'm sorry, I no hear you!", more pictures start to fly off his pad, "My imagination! Its magnifico!" he starts showing off some of his "recent" work, "Love is an art for you!"

The woman started to get aggravated by Leo's constant, yet unintentional, harassment.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" She shouts, clocking Leo in the jaw with enough force to send him flying into a nearby pond. Leo watches in stunned horror as she continues on her way in a huff.

"I-I've never been struck so in my life...!" he squeaks in overwhelming horrification. Shaking in angst, he does the logical and rears his head back, screaming at the top of his lungs.

_**HEEEEAAAALLLLP!**_

* * *

"A little overdramatic, don'cha think?" Spin asked, trying not to look disgusted by what he saw on the monitor overhead. Morris and Derek sighed and shook their heads, more at Leo's acting than Spin's question.

Kahn calmly clears his throat and turns to Spin, "In order for you to be an Agent, you must not think harshly on these situations." He then lowered his voice, "Though he could've dropped the whole dramatic sob sequence..." he clears his throat again, "In any case. You will be helping Leo try to win the affection of the girl in his dreams, if you can manage to encourage him to keep up his struggle, you will prove your worth as EBA's newest Agent."

"Cool, man! Then let's get goin'!"

"That's the spirit, son!" Kahn said as he shoots up, bringing his arm around him, "Agents are..." Once he was on his feet, he thrusts his fingers to the door, "GO!"

_I was born to love you_

_Every single day..._

Leo sways through the streets of Florence, reflecting on what had just happened a moment ago until he hears the rapid sound of clopping in the distance, followed shortly by Queen's "I was Born to Love You" filling the air. Beaming with anticipation, he turns around to see a stagecoach being pulled by a white horse. Spin sat at the helm, controlling the horse's movements while Morris and Derek sat in the back.

"Agents! You have arrived!" he calls out as the Agents disembark from the stagecoach and land before him.

"Arrived and ready for action!" Spin shouts, holding up a mock license showing the usual photo and badge. This time, his BA-rank had a 5 next to it instead of the higher numbers, indicating his status as rookie.

Leo beams with excitement as he runs off to find the woman he had the hots for, eventually seeing her standing in front of a poster to a 15th century version of a concert. Unfortunately, there was a "sold out" sign slapped onto the picture.

"Sold out..." she mutters in disappointment, though her face barely shows it. Leo listened into her dilemma and turns to the Agents, raising his fist in determination.

"I MUST MAKE LOVE TO HER!" he declares dramatically marching off towards his home. The Agents tried to hide their annoyed expression.

"Well..." Spin said, nearly choking on his laugh, "You hop on it and we'll hop to it!"

_You are the one for me;_

_I am the man for you._

_You were made for me;_

_You're my ecstasy._

_If I was given every opportunity,_

_I'd kill for your love._

Leo plops himself in front of his easel and slaps a blank, ticket-like piece of paper in the center of a hardwood canvas. He gets to work trying to draw a replica of the tickets to the concert the woman he loves wants to get into, but momentarily gets distracted by his fantasies, winding up drawing another random picture of her.

He suddenly snaps back to attention seconds later, finding his disaster written before him, panics and throws the ruined replica out. Slapping his cheeks several times, he grabs another ticket replica and tapes it to the canvas, keeping his focus on memorizing the design of the tickets and then painting them.

Three seconds into his drawing, he gets caught up in his fantasies again, but with the inspirational music Spin and the two back-ups were providing him, Leo vigorously starts slapping more paint and visualizations onto the tickets he's making.

_So take a chance with me;_

_Let me romance with you._

_I'm caught in a dream_

_And my dream's come true._

_So hard to believe_

_This is happening to me -_

Leo immediately rushes back to the woman, finding her still staring at the poster in unexposed hopelessness. Brimming with anticipation, he drops to a kneeling position and presents the tickets he duplicated.

"I have the tickets right here!" he said, grabbing the woman's attention as she turns to look at him. Throwing his arm around her shoulders, he pulls her to the ticket holder and hands them over to him, "For two!"

The holder looks the tickets over, barely finding anything that suggests it's been forged, tears the stubs off and allows the two to proceed to the concert where the music inside flows like a raging, yet warm, fire.

"Thank you for a wonderful evening!" the woman cheers, flapping her arms in enthusiasm despite her lack of expression.

"SI!" Leo shouts, throwing a thumbs-up in excitement.

The couple wander through the park after the concern. The woman eventually notices some birds flying over a beautiful lake.

"I want to fly," she sighs in depression. Seizing the opportunity to win another portion of her heart, Leo rushes over to her, throwing his hand on her shoulders again.

"Your wish, it is my command!" he declares again.

_An amazing feeling_

_Coming through!_

_I was born to love you_

_With every single beat of my heart._

_I was born to take care of you, honey,_

_Every single day of my life._

Leo returns home again to brainstorm his flying machine. He mutters as he tries to come up with some parts to help keep it airborne and maneuver without problems. Several times, he banged his head on the desk in frustration over how to make the device work, but quickly recovers as more thoughts sunk in. Not wanting to let these thoughts escape him again, he speeds up his blueprints, scribbling like crazy and nearly spilling ink everywhere.

_I wanna love you..._

_I love every little thing about you._

_I wanna love you, love you, love you..._

"Come," Leo said as he returns to the park where the woman continues to stand presenting a vehicle that looks like a chair strapped to a giant, spiraling piece of paper, "Feel the wind with me!"

Expressionlessly interested, she seats herself on the vehicle as Leo jumps on a second later, grabbing the lever, "Ok...?" he then jerks the lever back, "Let's go!"

The vehicle jostles before taking off, flying around various parts of Florence. The woman catches sight of the Tower of Pisa seconds later.

"Oh! It is the Tower of Pisa!" she calls out throwing a fist up in excitement, "So exhilarating!"

"SI!" Leo shouts again. Once the experience had ended, Leo was about to express his affection to her when a pack of bulls came charging at the two in a raging rampage.

"BULLS!" she screams, scrambling away. Leo panics, but takes up a brave demeanor as he grabs his palette and brush while rushing to the scene.

"WORRY NOT, MIAMORE!" he shouts.

_Born - to love you!_

_Born - to love you!_

_Yes, I was born to love you..._

Slapping an easel at one corner of the street, Leo tries to come up with a solution to the problem. The sight of his love in danger, however, was giving him more dreading aftermaths than ideas as he repeatedly thrashes his head around, screaming in frustration.

Spin tries to keep up with his performance, but the tremor of the streets caused by the rampaging bull was giving more leg cramps than help. Mentally frustrated, he tries to figure out how he was going to get past this obstacle without making the solution worse. He then remembers what the Ouendan had trained him on and tries hard to associate the experience with the situation beforehand.

Using different maneuvers than the one he came up with the last time he danced to the song, he managed to forgo the feeling of the earth-shaking surface and continue his performance.

The invigorating sensation flows into Leo's heart as he goes from screaming in frustration to madly swinging his paintbrush around the hardwood canvas of his portrait.

_Born - to love you!_

_Born - to love you!_

_Every single day... day of my life..._

Leo throws a drape over the painting and rushes it to the far corner of the street, waiting until the bulls were in range. Then in a dazzling maneuver, grabs the cloth and yanks it off the portrait, portraying a picture of a cute bull standing on an open seashell.

Mesmerized, the bulls change direction and rushed to the picture just as the woman had tripped over her own dress and fallen flat on her side. Leo dodges out of the way, allowing them to smash it to pieces while continuing on a different path away from their original target. He then rushes over and scoops the woman up.

"You are unharmed, my dear?" he asked.

"Thank you, Seniore Matador," the woman replied in a bit of a breathless, but lively tone. Leo helps her to her feet as he winks in confidence.

"Now," he says, "Let us walk our special passage."

_An amazing feeling_

_Coming through!_

Grabbing his paintbrush with one hand and the woman in the other, Leo starts charging down the streets, vigorously painting various pictures of the two. Unfortunately, the sudden take off and the weight of the woman wore him out in less than a second, forcing him to stop and catch his breath as she glares at him in frustration over the unneeded apprehension. He laughs nervously before placing his arm back around her and continuing their "special passage" at a moderate pace.

_I was born to love you_

_With every single beat of my heart._

_Yeah, I was born to take care of you_

_Every single day of my life._

_Yeah, I was born to love you_

_Every, every single day of my life._

"Now then, Signorina," Leo says after spreading his love throughout the entire three miles of the wall, "Show me your best smile."

Sighing a bit before chuckling, the woman finally cracks a smile on her once expressionless face, "OK, OK, you win Leo!"

"VALCANO!" Leo shouts as he throws an enthused thumbs-up. Spin saw the background practically change to a volcano that had just exploded. He looks at Morris and Derek who sigh and place their hands over their foreheads, shaking it in embarrassment.

The simulator speeds up to a month later, as Leo brings the woman to his masterpiece, covered by his long smock.

"I have made a most magnifico picture," he began, walking over and pulling the smock off, "Behold your beauty, my signorina!"

Once removed, the portrait displays the wondrous caricature of the woman, Mona Lisa, in all its smiling glory.

"Thank you for a wonderful picture," the woman said, embracing Leo in a heartwarming manner.

"VALCANO!" Leo shouts again, the volcano background once again replacing the scene while exploding. Again, Morris and Derek shook their heads in embarrassment as Spin just stares at the stuff before him, then looks at the Mona Lisa painting, almost swearing he saw it wink at him.

_I dunno which is more insane,_ he thinks to himself, _The Commander or this test..._

* * *

Kahn watches from the Command Room as the scene changes to Leo and his new bride flying off in their ancient vehicle, wearing a wedding gown and suit. The people of Florence cheer for the two as they toss flowers and confetti at their passing form.

"Well, Twist and Twirl," Kahn mutters as he chuckles, "It seems we have ourselves another addition from your family tree." He sighs in relief as he looks at Spin, Morris and Derek watching the wedding from a distance.

"No doubt about that," J said from behind Kahn's desk. He plants his hands on his side, "I believe with him onboard, we're going to have a lot of fun."

"No disagreein' there, Agent J."

From the background of the command room, Starr could barely be seen, staring at the monitor in a mixture of content and relief. Not feeling up to joining the conversation between Kahn and J, she pushes off the wall and heads out of the room, trying not to grab their attention as the doors slide open quietly to allow her exit.

End Notes:

From a personal point of view, I believed that the whole dancing to a jazzed up version of 15th century Florance would've been better understood as a simulative test for Spin to pass than having to explain how the Agents wound up in the past, playing modern day music to someone who may not have known what an eletric guitar is or sounds like.


	10. Episode 10: Cry Wolf!

Episode 10: Cry Wolf! Meteorology and Parenting!

Rain falls on the streets of New York as storm clouds blanket the once sunny skies. In a tall apartment complex deep within a quiet neighborhood, David Hudson, a 9-year-old boy with blond hair, wearing an orange sweatshirt with yellow stripes, and jeans, is talking on the phone while looking out at the stormy scene.

"Really!" he exclaims enthusiastically, "You really have the weekend off, Mommy!"

"That's right David," Sophie Hudson, a 39-year-old newscaster and meteorologist, answered from her cell phone at the news station.

"YES!" David cheers excitedly, "Picnic, here we come!"

Sophie looks down at her watch, "Mommy's on pretty soon. Go to bed, okay?"

* * *

Several hours later, David sits in front of the TV, watching his mom as she appears in front of a map overlooking the American continent. Sophie stares on with a distraught look on her face.

"The weekends weather looks like..." she began before stopping in hesitation. Her eyes shift between the board and the camera crew, one of whom is holding up a large cue card with the words "100 percent rain" written across it. She starts to feel faint as overbearing thoughts entered her head.

_Oh no! If I say rain! What will David say!_ she asks herself, thinking about how angry David will be in that his chances for a picnic would be shattered. Then another overwhelming though pops into her head, looking towards the camera crew waiting for her to continue her meteorology role, _But if I lie to the viewers..._

Visions of her being fired mixed in with the devastation of seeing her son lose faith in her promise as she continues to panic. Aggravated, she slams her hand on the map while pointing at the camera, "THIS WEEKEND! YOU WILL SEE SUNNY SKIES!"

The crew stare at her in dumbfounded silence as Sophie continues her tirade, "IT'S SUNNY OR MY NAME ISN'T SOPHIE HUDSON!"

Thinking she's lost her mind, the camera crew rushed over to Sophie and attempts to drag her off screen, but in determination to keep up with the word to her son, she knocks them off and rears her head back, screaming at the top of her lungs.

_**HEEEEAAAAALLLLP!**_

* * *

"He-ey! There's someone I hadn't seen in five years," Spin calls out as he points to Sophie's screaming mug, "I remember she used to live in my parent's neighborhood before she got her new job as a meteorologist."

"Well, it seems to me that she's have a bit of a dilemma trying to keep her duty and parenting in check," Kahn said, turning his head towards Spin, "And since you've known her for quite a while, I believe you should be the one to handle her crisis. Think you can do it?"

"Are you kiddin'?" Spin laughs, doing a twist of the body which ends with him facing and pointing to Kahn with both hands, "I've been at this for three months, man! Have a little faith in a brother!"

Kahn nods, "Very well then..." he then swings his chair around, getting ready to thrust his arm out, "Agents are..." he ends by turning to fully face Spin while pointing outwards, "GO!"

* * *

Sophie rushes over to the window of her apartment the next morning, staring out at the sky as it continues to block out the sun. Raindrops begin falling out as she panics some more.

"NO RAIN!" she screamed, "C'mon sunshine!"

Just seconds after pleading, she sees something pass by her view; a black blimp with a star in the center. From the gondola, she sees three men in black suits look towards her, one of whom catches her by surprise.

"Oh my..." she mutters in shock, "Is that...?"

"Yo! Sophie!" Spin calls out as he presents his legitimate, BA-5 badge, "Here to help you brighten up the mood!"

Sophie watches in stunned silence as Spin, Morris and Derek leap out of the blimp and onto the roof of the complex. Just seconds after landing, Earth, Wind, and Fire's "September" fills the skies, causing her once paranoid behavior to slowly brighten to that of joyful determination.

Believing in her confidence, the newscaster grabs a hold of a nearby fan and points it out the window, trying to blow off as much of the rain clouds as possible. David watches in curiosity as he tries to figure out what she was doing.

_Do you remember the twenty-first night of September?_

_Love was changing the minds of pretenders_

_While chasing the clouds away..._

Luck wasn't on Sophie side at first as the amount of effort the electric fan is expelling only seems to be enough to just release more cold winds. Frustrated, she began messing with the controls, trying to turn up the power of the fan.

Finally, after a couple of minutes, a gust of wind nearly knocks her away from the window while blowing a hole in the center of the rain clouds. Looking with astonishment, Sophie immediately jumps back up and goes on a raging onslaught, blowing away as many rain clouds as she can find.

_Our hearts were ringing_

_In the key that our souls were singing_

_As we danced in the night -_

_Remember how the stars stole the night away?_

"These guys are tough!" Sophie pants as she takes a momentary break from her battle with the storm. She then catches sight of David's classmates appearing out the window of the other apartment spaces, looking over to her in enthusiasm.

"We saw the show, Sophie!" they called out. Every kid in the apartment pulls out an electric fan and points it towards the sky, unleashing a huge gust of wind towards the clouds, "BLOW, WIND, BLOW!"

In an amazing show of strength, the gust of wind manages to scare off a huge chunk of rain clouds. Sophie looks on in relief as David pops up beside her, throwing his hands into the air.

"SUNSHINE!" he calls out. Unfortunately, the kids' efforts weren't enough as there was still a large quantity of rain clouds still overwhelming the supposed sunny skies.

"Still no sun!" Sophie growls in frustration. She immediately runs into the living room closet and comes out seconds later with a vacuum cleaner, "Take this, rain clouds!"

_Hey hey hey,_

_Ba de da - say, do you remember..._

_Ba de da - dancing in September?_

_Ba de da - never was a cloudy day..._

_Ba de da ba de da -_

_Ba de da ba de da –_

_Ba de da ba de da –_

_Ba de da ba de da –_

_Ba de da ba de da –_

_Ba de da – Yeah_

Sophie borrows a hang glider from one of her neighbors as she flies through the skies, trying to suck out more rain clouds. The efforts, as with the fan, were belittled by the amount of crows coming after her in a fit of anger and fright over the noise of the vacuum cleaner and the appearance of the large glider.

Fed up with the interference, Sophie kicks the vacuum's suction power to full blast, not only scaring the crows away, but also managing to eat up a lot of the rain clouds surrounding her.

_My thoughts are with you,_

_Holding hands with your heart to see you._

_Only blue talk and love -_

_Remember how we knew love was here to stay?_

"This ain't gonna cut it!" Sophie pants in frustration. She then hears the sound of jet engines and turns to see fighter jets flying around her, "The Air Force!"

"We saw the show, Sophie!" one of the pilots called out. The jets began flying around the overcast skies, using their propellers as vacuums to suck out a large amount of the clouds and exposing more sunny-side blueness.

"It's clearing up!" Sophie calls out in surprise.

"Good luck, Sophie!" The pilots shout as they fly away.

Sophie waves to the pilots, "Thanks a million!"

She lands the glider in a cliff somewhere in the wilderness, turning around to find that the surviving rain clouds were trying to expand, determined to unleash their storm upon the city.

"It's not over yet!" Sophie seethed, picking up a pair of torches, "TAKE THIS!"

_Now December found the love that we shared in September._

_Only blue talk and love -_

_Remember the true love we share today!_

Sophie builds a monstrous bonfire and starts dancing around it, trying to encourage the blaze to heat up enough of the atmosphere to evaporate the remaining storm clouds. At first, she was going at a slow pace as she was feeling a bit unsure of the idea. But with the encouraging music and performance of the Agents, she overcame her worries and started stomping around, screaming and yelling, which caused the fire to extend and burn off another large portion of the clouds.

_Hey hey hey,_

_Ba de da - say, do you remember..._

_Ba de da - dancing in September?_

_Ba de da - never was a cloudy day..._

"We need more power!" Sophie heaves after dancing herself to near exhaustion. David stood by her, waiting to see what would happen next. They heard noise from behind and turned to see a gorilla, two bears, two cows and a fox show up from the wilderness. The gorilla grunts and pounds its chest, seeming to indicate that it and the other animals saw Sophie's show and wanted to help out.

Using the extra muscles, Sophie and the animals performed a fire dance so great, the bonfire literally punches a hole through the clouds, releasing more sunlight.

_Now our bell was ringing, aha!_

_And our souls were singing..._

_Do you remember every cloudy day - yow!_

"Thanks everyone!" Sophie says while rubbing her forehead. She then sees particles of storm clouds remaining in the sky, struggling to expand despite the heat of the atmosphere, "Little more...! This is it!"

_There was a -_

_Ba de da - say, do you remember..._

_Ba de da - dancing in September?_

_Ba de da - never was a cloudy day..._

Using the animals for another round, Sophie continues to perform the fire dance, stomping around and yelling at the top of her lungs. The fire continues to increase to the point where the clouds finally evaporate, at last releasing the sun from its confines and allowing it to shine beautifully among the city.

Families gather around the park for a day of picnics, one of them being Sophie and David.

"Didn't Mommy say it would be a perfect day?" she asks.

"Yippee!" David cheers as he holds onto Sophie's hand. After a few seconds, they found a spot to set up their picnic. One of the kids notices the two and stops to study them.

"Your mom sure is pretty," he said.

"I know!" David said excitedly. He reaches into the basket and pulls out a huge hamburger, "Her hamburgers are the greatest too!" he then puts the hamburger down and gives Sophie a long, heartwarming hug, "The number ONE mommy in the world!"

* * *

Early that evening, Spin walks down to the EBA garage, humming the same tune he used in his mission. He had replaced his black suit with the gaku-ran uniform he got from Japan, only this time, he left the coat unbuttoned, exposing a white muscle T underneath, and a different pair of shoes, custom fit with Velcro buckles and black swirls surrounding the supposed white exterior. Heading for the red convertible, he catches sight of J chatting with Starr, who's sitting on the edge of the EBA convertible. A devious smirk ran across the rookie's face, thinking about surprising J just before he left.

Starr catches sight of Spin creeping towards J. Knowing what he was about to do, she tries hard not to drop hints, but a smirk slowly began to form on her face. J continues to talk, seeming oblivious to everything around him until Spin spreads his arms out, poised to grab and shake his shoulder.

"Hold it right there, hotshot," J suddenly blurts out, pointing his finger at Spin without even looking. Spin comes to an abrupt halt just as his hands were a foot from grabbing his shoulders. Starr whistles in astonishment.

"Wow!" she says, "And he was quiet as a mouse. You're becoming just as impossible to surprise as his parents."

"Well, it's not 100percent yet," J said with a shrug, "But at least now I don't have to touch someone in order to know what they're thinking."

"Shoot, I'm jealous, J!" Spin pipes up, pivoting around the BA-2 Agent and flopping himself next to Starr, "Not only did you heighten your senses, but you were able to do it without fallin' asleep five seconds after goin' into meditation!"

"I blame youth on your misfortune," J said, "No offense, Spin, but at your age, the chances of you ever being able to improve on your spiritual coordination are pretty much slim to none."

"Yeah...I know..." Spin mutters, crossing his arms and scrunching his head between his shoulders in a fake pout, "That's why my parents gave up tryin' to teach this skill to me after two weeks of watchin' me zonk out."

"So," Starr began, leaning towards Spin as he straightens up and blushes, "I saw your performance earlier. You sure have changed in the past three months since you first joined. I still remember you were reluctant to take advantage of EBA's generosity, thinking you'd get in trouble for it."

"Hey, that was then," Spin said with a shrug, "Now, I can do whatever I want without worryin' about who gonna be crackin' the whip on me." He then eyes Starr, "And if I remember correctly, you were too afraid to come and talk to me up 'til after my test. J said you too scared to confront me for a while."

"Yeah...I did neglect you, didn't I?" Starr sighs, "I'm sorry. Things have been going on and, for a while...I wasn't sure what I should be doing to straighten them out and bring things back to the way they were."

"Well, now that things are 'almost' back to normal, we can all relax and go about business like usual," J said. He then studies Spin's new appearance, "Say, what's with the change in wardrobe? Takin' off somewhere?"

"Yep," Spin said, "It's been three months, yo! And since everyone's calmed down, I figure I head off to Japan and pay them dawgs a visit, let them see how much I've improved since we first ran into each other."

"Them?" J asks with a cocked eyebrow before raising both in realization, "Oh, the Ouendan."

"Yeah, man! It feels like it's been too long since I last saw them, so I figured I drop by and hang with them for a while." Spin leaps off the car and walks over to J, throwing his arm around his shoulders, "Say! You should meet the rest of 'em, yo! I'm sure they'd love to hear how you decided to take on their spirit seekin' skills."

"Well..." J said, seeming interested in Spin's offer, but unfortunately...

"All available Agents, please report to the command room," Kahn's voice boomed, "We have another situation that needs attending to."

"Shoot," Spin grumbles, "And just when things were about to get settled too."

"I'll handle this," J said, waving his hand, "You go on ahead. I'll know where to find you."

Spin sighs as he takes his arm off J and allows him to continue towards EBA Central. Starr compresses her lips some as she leaps off and walks over to him.

"Um... Do you think..." she mutters before trailing off, furrowing her eyebrows nervously.

"Hmm?" Spin looks over to Starr, "You wanna come too?"

Starr scratches the back of her head, "Well...it's just... I've been wanting to apologize to the Ouendan for being hostile to them in the past... I just wasn't..."

"Hey, no need to feel worried," Spin said, throwing his arm around Starr's shoulders, "Them dawgs'll understand. And I'm sure they've already accepted your apology, knowing it was just out of sleepless rage."

"Well... Even so..."

"I know. You just wanna apologize so you'd feel better yo'self." Spin takes his hand off Starr, "No prob. I got your back, sista."

"Thank you, Spin," Starr mutters as she follows the rookie to his parents' car.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, the sun had just risen and everyone was getting ready to go about their business. At a stand deep within Evening City, a ten-year-old boy with messy, black hair, wearing a black, long tailed, gaku-ran uniform, white gloves and a red bandana stands in front of the lottery wheel, staring at it with his arms crossed.

He soon uncrosses his arms and starts off a small Ouendan performance, punching, stomping and swinging his arms around. After a moment, he grabs the handle of the wheel and spins it in a clock-wise manner before stopping with the nozzle close to the small, tin tray, causing a gold ball to drop out and roll to the end. The boy looks with overwhelming horror as the woman in charge of the stand cheerfully rings her bell.

"**Another victory for the lucky boy!**" she shouts, slapping a plane ticket onto four identical ones, "**I say! You must be one gifted little prodigy!**"

"**GIFTED!**" the boy shouts as he stomps his feet and swings his arms up and down in anger, "**How can I be gifted when I can't even get my hands on that video game you put up in your prize bin!**"

"**Oh come on! How can you turn down five tickets to America? Why, I bet your family would've been thrilled to want to visit a foreign country and see all the wonderful things it has to offer!**"

The boy heaves a frustrated sigh as he turns away from the stand. Behind him stood a 4-year-old girl in a yellow sweater with orange stripes on her back and a hood shaped like the head of a cat, and yellow pants with the same stripes on the outer sides of her legs along with a tail sticking out the rump area; her brown hair done in short, unbraided pigtails, each one bearing balls shaped like kittens. She looks between the boy and the stand before throwing her hands in the air and sporting a cheerful smile.

"**Nii-san call on Ouendan!**" she yells, "**Ouendan be able to help!**" the boy panics and grabs the girl by the shoulders, almost shaking her to death.

"**SHUT UP, AIMAY!**" he shouts, "**I DON'T WANNA GET ANAKI INVOLVED IN THIS!**"

"**What? You don't I'd do something this simple?**" asked a voice from behind. The boy jumps and turns to see Hajime standing behind him, chewing on a chocolate coated, vanilla ice cream bar. He wore a different pair of glasses and his bandana had been replaced with an officer's hat that wasn't torn up like Kai's.

"**A-Aniki!**" the boy yelps as Hajime walks over to the two, holding out a couple of ice cream sandwiches with half the wrapper torn off them.

"**Here. Got you some snacks.**"

"YAY!" Aimay squeals as she grabs one of the sandwiches and chomps down on it. The boy moans in disappointment as he takes his sandwich and starts nibbling on it. Hajime looks at the poster behind the woman, seeing the assortment of prizes printed next to a colored circle.

"**Unbelievable,**" he snorts, "**Why couldn't you just buy the game instead of wasting your allowance on crap like this? It's no wonder you couldn't get anything the day they come out.**"

"**But you don't understand!**" the boy pouts, "**This game sold-out faster than every other game in existence! I was desperate!**" Hajime heaves a sigh in frustration as he tosses the stick into a nearby garbage can.

"**I swear, Jago. Sometimes I wonder if you even bother looking before you jump.**"

"**That brother of yours sure is lucky,**" the woman said, smiling in amazement, "**I've never met anyone who's won five tickets to America in a row.**"

"**Wh...What! America!**" Hajime nearly wails in shock. He then notices the five tickets sitting on the stand and picks them up, staring at them in astonishment.

"**Lucky my foot!**" Jago groans, "**I'd believe that thought if I could just find the right color to get that game!**"

"**Hey, don't say that!**" Hajime scolds, eyeing his brother before focusing on the tickets, "**These tickets could be ten-times better than some boring old game you could buy at a discount store.**"

"**Yeah! Like what!**" Hajime eyes Jago again in annoyance before turning his back on him and Aimay, rubbing his chin.

"**Well, let see,**" he mutters, "**It is summer, and there are certain people in desperate need of a family visit, who in turn is in a desperate need of an overseas vacation... Now who do you think those people are...?**"

Jago and Aimay, who has vanilla ice cream and cookie crumbs smeared around her mouth, look at each other before joining Hajime in rubbing their chins. Aimay then throws her arms in the air.

"JIJI AND SOBO!" she squeals in delight.

"Bingo, Koneko-chan!" Hajime calls out as he turns to look at his younger siblings. Jago blinks in realization.

"**Oh yeah!**" he gasps, "**I forgot they moved to America five years ago!**" he bounces up and down in excitement, "**Are we really going to see them!**"

"**Sure thing! We'll run back home and tell Mom and Dad the news! They'll be so excited, they'd probably run off to the airport without even packing up any necessities we need to bring for the trip!**"

"YAHOO!" the two younger Tanakas yelled as they jump up to Hajime and glomp him. The eldest brother laughs as he spins the two around before landing Jago on his back and Aimay in one arm, all three pointing to the horizon of the sidewalk.

"HOMEWARD BOUND!" they shout in English as they march off where they pointed. The woman in charge of the stand chuckles a bit as she sits back and waits for more people to come up to the lottery wheel.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a penitentiary miles outside the borders of Tokyo, alarms blare as cops ran around in a fit of panic.

"**HALT!**" several voices scream as a man with a large, violet afro rushes through the swarm of cops, panting in hysteria and fright. One of the cops manages to grab him only to be hit with an unnatural, lavender bolt of lightning that threw him into one of the walls. The others stare in shock as their escapee continues his path to freedom.

Once outside, the man looks around frantically before catching sight of a helicopter in the distance. More cops rushed out of the building, finding him making a mad dash to the air vehicle.

"**There he is!**" one of them shouts.

"**Stop him!**" shouts another. The gang of officials stampedes to the man, each one grabbing him around the arms and legs and struggling to pull him back.

"**Stop! Let me go!**" he screams as he struggles to pull away.

"**You still have a sentence to fill out!**" one of the cops said, "**Stop your whining and go back to your cell!**"

"**No! You can't make me go back there! Not after what those brutes did to me!**"

The cops began to drag him away from the copter, lessening his chances of escape. Angered, the man thrashes about, each time managing to break the grip of one cop only to have another grab hold and strain him. Fearful of the other prisoners who harassed and bullied him, the man throws his head back and screams as tears of anger streamed down his face.

"**HELP ME!**"

As if answering his question, his entire body glows a lavender color. The cops in front stare in shock as the glow turns into electricity flowing through the man's body as he fights to break their grip. Before any of them could figure out what's going on, an explosion of light fills the area. Those caught in the light were electrocuted, many dropping to the ground in a seizure like motion while others were thrown in several directions.

The man stares at the aftermath in stunned silence before turning around and heading for the helicopter, scrambling into the front seat and messing with the controls. Seconds later, the propellers activate, bringing the vehicle into the sky just as more cops had appeared to respond to the crisis beforehand.

As the helicopter flies off away from the penitentiary, the man stares ahead, eyes blood-shot with anger.

"**I'll make them pay...**" he seethed, gripping the steering wheel to the point of his hands throttling, "**I'll make them pay for what they did to me two years ago...when they tore me from my victory and dumped me in this hellhole! I'll make sure they never trash my elections again...!**"

He then reaches into his pocket and pulls out a black rock, glowing an array of lavender and white, "**And with this piece of the meteorite, which Lady Luck kindly tossed into my prison cell, I will make sure no one tries to stop me from becoming the next Mayor of Tokyo!**" he finishes with a sinister laughter that would've echoed throughout the dark, cloudy atmosphere had the loud sounding propellers not blare out the noise.

End Notes:

1. Even though Aniki and Nii-san roughly mean older brother in Japanese, there's a distinct difference in the way they're used. Aniki actually translates into elder brother which is what Hajime is in his family.

2. Jago (Not to be confused with the ninja from Killer Instinct) and Aimay are, as stated in an earlier episode, characters I made up in accordance to Hajime's profile.

3. Koneko-chan, which Hajime constantly nicknames Aimay, means "little kitten" in Japanese.


	11. Episode 11: Quickest Trip

Episode 11: Quickest Trip from Fun to Danger

In the Ouendan dojo several miles from the population of Evening City, Ryuta mutters numbers in Japanese as he places yen, both dollar and coin, in a stack on a red cloth covering the 2ft table in front of him. His brownish-red hair wilder than before and the ball of his topknot is larger and spikier.

Saito, Suzuki and Kai sat around him, waiting in anticipation as he slaps the last yen down. Saito had a different eye patch covering his right eye and Suzuki's beard became more visible.

"**Well, boys,**" Ryuta began, crossing his arms, "**Our efforts have finally paid off.**"

"**You mean...?**" Suzuki mutters in shock.

"**With the funding we saved up from the Summer and Spring Matsuri, we have ourselves enough money to make the trip to America.**"

"**ALRIGHT!!**" Saito and Suzuki shout in excitement, about to grab the yen. Ryuta yanks up the tablecloth, binding the money inside and leaps onto the futon to keep the cohorts from tackling him.

"**I'm not finished!**" Ryuta growled, "**I said we have enough money to make the trip to America, but only for one of us! And the reason we're saving up for this moment is to put forward our plans in forming an alliance with EBA! We'll goof around in America as much as we want after the task is done!**"

"**That's fine by me,**" Kai said, snatching the makeshift sack from Ryuta, "**Then it'll be my pleasure to make that establishment a permanent mark on our list of duties!**"

"**Not fair!**" Suzuki whines as he and Saito crowd around Kai, trying to grab the sack only to have him yank it into the air, "**Why do you have to take all the fun out of us! We wanna go too!**"

"**You're not fit to help in our fight for the EBA's trust!**" Kai snaps, "**They need someone who understands what it takes to prove the Ouendan's worth and connect the taijitu of our organizations!**"

"**And you think we don't fit that category!? You just want all the fun to yourself! While we're stuck here twiddling our thumbs in boredom!**"

The fight comes to an abrupt stop as a blaring noise nearly knocks them to the far end of the room. Ryuta took his finger out of his ear as he tosses the air horn he used to break up the scuffle to one side.

"**I didn't raise this squadron to be whiney five-year-olds!**" Ryuta barks, "**Now only one of us is going to America and we're going to settle this like respectable gentlemen!**"

He throws a cushion to the floor with a bowl sitting on top of it, then sits behind it, tossing three die in the air, "**Chinchirorin, non-banker! Highest triplets and 4-5-6 sequence garner an automatic win!**"

Kai snorts as he walks over and grabs the die before they land in Ryuta's hand, "**Fine! Then I go first!**" He raises his hand in the air, shouting a battle cry and looking like he was about to slam the die into the bowl, but stops just as it reaches the halfway point. The hand opens, dropping the dotted cubes into the bowl as they bounce and roll around.

The three smaller Ouendan crowd around the bowl, their face laced with anticipation, which then turn to agonizing shock as the die eventually comes to a stop.

"TRIPPLE SIX!?" they shout in unison as all three die came up six. Kai laughs menacingly as he hauls the sack over his right shoulder.

"**How lucky!**" Kai snickers as he turns around, "**Winner in less than a second.**" Saito and Suzuki grab each other, bawling, while Ryuta stares at the bowl in dumbstruck silence, "**But don't worry. I'll make sure to bring back something for you guys when I return from America.**" He then walks off as the two cohorts continue crying and Ouendan leader flops on his rump, head on his knees with one arm around them, running his finger on the hardwood surface of the floor in a depressive manner.

* * *

The Tanaka siblings arrive at a moderate-looking house deep within the quiet neighborhood of Evening City. Hajime unlocks the door and all three enter.

"WE'RE HOME!!" they shout in English as they throw their shoes off. By the time they reached the living room, the air of silence becomes an immediate concern.

"**Hey!**" Jago mutters, looking around, "**Mommy and Daddy should still be here! Where could they be?**"

"**They couldn't be at work, they were given the summer off,**" Hajime said, going off to look for their parents while tossing his hat onto the coat rack.

Aimay notices a piece of paper sitting on a glass table next to a lamp and a telephone. She tries to reach for it, eventually giving up and glancing below the table at the writing before seeing Jago walk towards her.

"**Nii-san!**" she whined, "**What these scribbles on the paper?**"

"**Scribbles?**" Jago mutters as he takes the paper off the table and looks at it, "**Hey! These aren't scribbles! They look like American alphabets!**"

"**What they say?**"

Jago reads the writing, frowning in frustration, "**I...I only know how to speak English! I haven't been able to read or write it!**" he turns to Hajime who was about to pass by him, holding up the paper, "**Anaki! Can you read this?**"

"**Let me see,**" Hajime said, taking the paper and sitting down on a couch to read, "**Dear, kids. Sorry for the abrupt leave, but we were so excited about this moment that we barely had time to...**" he suddenly stops, his face tightening in aggravation, "**THOSE SNEAKS!! THEY JUST RAN OFF TO AMERICA WITHOUT US!!**"

"NANI!?" Hajime's younger siblings scream in shock. Jago flops on the couch in a faint while Aimay cries in frustration.

* * *

"**What now...?**" Jago mutters as he sits on the lawn outside their house. Hajime laid next to him, wearing his hat again and staring up at the sky in frustration while Aimay sits next to him, holding onto her feet as she bounces them up and down.

"**Can't we go to America?**" Aimay asked.

"**We could,**" Hajime grumbles, waving the five tickets in front of him like a fan, "**But then the last two tickets would be a complete waste.**"

"**Yeah...**" Jago mutters, "**Especially since they have an expiration date on them...**" he then perks up and looks at Hajime, "**Maybe we can invite two of our relatives to go with us!?**"

"**Are you kidding?**" Hajime grumbles, "**Do you know how big our family tree is!? By the time we find someone who wants to go to America, summer would be over and we'd all be back in school!**" he looks towards Jago, holding the tickets in the air, "**It'd be a miracle if someone would just walk up and grab the tickets from...**" before he could finish his sentence, the five tickets were snatched out of his hand.

"**Look! It's a miracle!**" shouts a voice. Hajime sits up as he and his siblings look to see Suzuki waving the tickets in the air, "**Tanaka-sama has just what we were looking for!**"

"**Um...what?**" Hajime yelps as Saito runs over to Suzuki and studies the tickets. The two cohorts squealed with delight as they scoop up the rookie Ouendan and nearly crushed him in a hug.

"**YOU'RE A LIFESAVER, TANAKA-SAMA!!**" they yell in excitement.

"**THAT'S GREAT! NOW HOW ABOUT RETURNING THE FAVOR BY LETTING ME BREATHE!?**" Hajime wheezed. The two cohorts eventually let go, dropping him to a sitting position with his hat lopped to one side and his glasses two inches from falling off his nose.

"**You wanna go to America too?**" Jago asked, standing up.

"**You have no idea, man!**" Suzuki laughs, cuddling the tickets as though it were a cute animal, "**We've been wanting to go there for months! And even though Doumeki-sama stole that chance, Lady Luck was kind enough to give us an alternative route!**"

"**Kai ditched you too, huh?**" Hajime grumbles as he readjusts his hat and glasses. He then stands up, "**Looks like we weren't the only ones left behind for a vacation in western culture.**"

"**So, are you two the only ones going with us?**" Aimay asked.

"**Duh, Aimay,**" Jago growls in annoyance, "**We only have enough room for two more! There's no way we could fit another person into this entourage!**"

"**Hate to correct you on that,**" Ryuta said as he walks over to the small group of familiars, "**But there is a solution to allowing more than five people on a plane.**"

Jago cocks his head to one side before Hajime continues, "**He's right. Since Aimay's under 10, she doesn't need a ticket to get on.**"

"**Really!? So all six of us can go to America?**" Jago then blinks as furrows his eyebrows, "**But...what about the girls? Don't they wanna come too?**"

"**You don't wanna know...**" Ryuta mutters in annoyance.

* * *

Spin and Starr wander into a café on the other side of Evening City, taking a seat near a booth and picking up a menu to read.

"Wow, there sure is a lot of noodles to choose from," Starr says in amazement, "I can't decide what to have first!"

"Well..." Spin was about to say before seeing a bowl of noodle soup slide in front of them. He looks up to Yasushi Tanaka, the owner of the café, in confusion, "**W-Wait. We didn't order this.**"

Yasushi steps back and presents his hand to the far end of the room, wearing a pleasing grin, "**They say it's a welcoming gift.**" He then struts off to the kitchen.

Spin and Starr look at each other before glancing over to where Yasushi pointed to see Aoi, Sayaka and Anna sitting a table away from them. Their uniforms were slightly altered, the shirt now sleeveless as they wore bands that expand from their knuckles to their upper arms. Sayaka had her hair up in a high ponytail while Aoi had more ribbons tied around her pigtails.

"Konnichiha, Spin!" Aoi calls, waving her hand.

"Are these friends of yours?" Starr asked.

"Sure are!" Spin laughs, "How ya doin' girls!?"

"Never better," Anna said, leaning on the table and resting her chin on her hand, "So, how is life as an Agent?"

"Oh, man, do I have a recap for you!"

* * *

"**Man! It's too bad Doumeki-san beat us to an earlier flight!**" Jago groans as he sits in one of the third class seats of the plane, "**I was hoping we'd surprise him!**"

"**Oh, there'll be plenty of surprises when we get to America,**" Suzuki snickers as he sits in a row of seats in the center of the plane with Ryuta and Saito sitting next to him, "**Personally, I'd prefer kicking his butt for trying to ditch us!**"

"**Ha, I'd like to see you try first of all,**" Hajime laughs, sitting next to Aimay, who's sitting next to Jago, "**He'd probably break your ankle before you even land a blow on him.**"

"**Or rip your entire leg off,**" Ryuta snickers, "**But then we won't be able to cheer for a while if he did.**"

"**I'm so excited!**" Jago says, squirming with joy, "**Not only will we be able to see Jiji and Sobo, but we'll be able to enjoy what America has to offer us!**"

"**Ah, that's right,**" Ryuta says in realization, "**Your grandparents live in America, don't they? That should save us from having to find a place to live for the duration of the summer.**"

"**But will they allow us to stay, Ippongi-sama?**" Suzuki asked.

"**Of course they will,**" Hajime said, "**They already know I'm with you guys, so they'll be more than happy to let you stay.**"

"**Ha! Put another one over Doumeki-sama!**" Suzuki laughs as he, Ryuta and Saito threw a high-five towards themselves.

* * *

After explaining what had been going on in the three months since Spin first joined, the Cheer Girls whistle in astonishment.

"Spin all grow up!" Aoi cheers, throwing a fist into the air.

"Sure has," Sayaka giggles, "Completely different from what he was when we first saw him."

Spin then looks around, "Hey! Where're the guys? I figured they be here with you!"

"You just missed them," Anna said, "Show up an hour early, you might've been able to catch them before they hopped on a plane to America."

"They're going to America, huh?" Spin asked, "Doin' some cultural sight-seeing?"

"That and they are still trying to get in touch with your agency," Sayaka said.

Spin laughs, "Wow! J was right then! No matter how much the Commander beats you back, you still be tryin' to gain his trust!"

"We can't let something like a rigged competition stop us from opening your Commander to new ideas," Anna said, "Perhaps by showing them our true potentials, he'd stop believing that false conclusion and finally accept our aide."

"Hmm... It's too bad we didn't catch them in time," Starr murmurs, burying her hands between her legs in worry, "Because I was hoping to apologize to them for...you know..."

"Oh do not worry about that," Sayaka said, waving her hand, "We all know you were too tired to accept facts. But you will have plenty of time to get that off your chest when you head back home."

"Hey, that reminds me," Spin said, "How is Haji doin'? He was in rough shape last time I saw him."

"Never better," Anna said before chuckling, "Let me tell ya, though, when he got back to the dojo, Kai was ruthless! He wasted no time in verbally bashing the poor kid 'til his ears bled."

"Ippongi-sama then opt to suspend him for the duration of his recovery time," Sayaka continues, "Hajime became bored after a couple of days, so he sat down and meditated, using his spirit as a massage to heal the sprain on his arm and leg."

"Hajime bounce back less than two week!" Aoi said cheerfully, "Shock other Ouendan in process!"

"Wow. Now there's someone devoted to his duties," Spin whistles.

"So...how come you didn't go with them to America?" Starr asked.

"We really wanted to," Sayaka said before glaring at Anna in frustration, "But a certain someone decided to blab about the attack on the 9th of September and scared Aoi into rejecting the offer."

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!" Aoi screamed, grabbing her head and shaking it in fright, "Those poor people! Killed by evil men who want take over world! I no wanna be like them!"

"Well how was I suppose to know she scares easy from historical moments!?" Anna grumbled in disappointment. Sayaka sighs in annoyance.

"But truthfully," she said, "We felt it best to just stick around incase Japan needs someone to lift their spirits."

"Ah, that makes sense," Spin said, leaning back in his chair, "Considering you don't have a lot of fast transportation at the moment."

"Oh! But when Ouendan join with EBA, we plenty of way to go to other country with no need for money!" Aoi squeals as she brings her hands to her chin in excitement, "I want play in hologram room, though! Sound like fun!"

"Me too!" Sayaka squeals, grabbing Aoi's hands and holding them up, "Not only is it fun, it can help heighten our senses when cheering for the world! That way, we will not have to keep using and replacing those boards in the backyard of our dojo to simulate distractions! We can finally put the money we earn doing random jobs and Matsuris to buying more supplies for fancier, homemade cuisines and not have to worry so much about bills and mortgage fees!"

"Not to mention it makes getting to the person in need of a cheer a lot easier," Anna says with a wink, "We can just pay our way into places that charge us entry fees rather than look for another way in and further damage our reliability to the world."

"Wow. You've been putting a lot of thought into this, haven't you?" Starr asked.

"We would not be the most reliable squadron had our leader not plan to put his actions to good use," Sayaka said as she and Aoi looked to the Agent and Diva, "He knows what is best for the world, therefore, he will do what is necessary to keep everyone happy and relieved."

"Leader know Commander think same way," Aoi said, "That why leader determine to make Commander understand and accept similarity."

"Well, here's hopin' you guys finally establish that alliance before the summer's over," Spin said, pretending to lift a glass in toast. The Cheer Girls giggle at his gesture.

* * *

Jago and Aimay lay against each other, sleeping rather quietly. The excitement following their departure from terra firma quickly wore them out before they even left the vicinity of Japan.

"**They sure seem excited about this trip,**" Ryuta chuckles after watching them fall asleep.

"**It's been a while since we took a plane anywhere,**" Hajime said, "**And because this'll be the first time we visit a foreign country, they have more of a reason to be excited.**"

"**The level of excitement on this plane is enormous!**" Suzuki says joyfully, "**I wanna try some of America's food when we get there! And hear what kind of music they have playing!**"

"**Let's not get too excited, Suzuki,**" Ryuta said, "**Don't forget. The reason we're going to America in the first place is to get in touch with EBA and prove to them that we're more than just a cheap organization.**"

"**That's if we can find something to prove,**" Hajime said, resting his elbow on one of the armrests and placing his head on his hand, "**After all, their Commander hastily based our unreliability on a stupid hologram competition. In order for him to finally see us for what we are rather than what he thinks, we need to find real meat with real problems. That way, he'd have no choice but to sit back and watch us do our stuff.**"

"**Finding real life people is going to be a rough task,**" Suzuki said, "**Especially since very few Americans understand how we work.**"

"**It might not matter how many people are familiar with our method of cheering,**" Ryuta said, "**As long as they understand we're trying to help lift their spirits, they won't care how we do it.**"

"**I'd say those bickering chefs they have in their kitchen are the closest candidates to showing off the full extent of our talents,**" Hajime said, "**Big egos, intolerance towards each other. I doubt even their Commander'll have problems getting them to follow orders when faced with competitive situations.**"

"**You may be right, but we should look for other head-butters before focusing on them as our prime targets. Mainly as back-up incase the Commander does manage to push his dominance over them.**"

Saito blinks as he looks to the window adjacent to where he and the other Ouendan sat. The others follow his gaze, getting the same sense he picked up.

"**Look's like someone's having a field day,**" Suzuki mutters.

"**Yeah, but from what?**" Ryuta mutters.

The dreadful, angst spirit seems to be flying in several directions, first appearing near where the Ouendan first spotted them, but slowly began rising over the plane. By the time it reached the other side of the window, the sky had grown dark due to the sun drawing further from their location.

The Ouendan could see the makings of a helicopter flying dangerously close to the wing of the plane. The sense of dread and angst increased tenfold once all their focus was on the smaller vehicle.

"**What do you think that guy's doing!?**" Hajime nearly yelps.

"**Something tells me this trip is about to take a turn for the worse,**" Ryuta mumbles nervously.

Several patrol copters surround the maverick vehicle, shining their spotlights and revealing the driver at the wheel while grabbing the attention of everyone onboard the plane. His hair, supposedly purple and puffy, is now a mess of dirt, mud and food particles, both whole and barfed up. He wore an orange prison suit with the number 69 taped to his back. Suzuki's face darkens with slight frustration.

"It him..." he mutters, "J-Yama; wannabe candidate arrested for trying to smuggle way into becoming mayor!"

"And he's been in prison for two years?" Ryuta mutters, "I assumed he should've been out a long time ago!"

"That overwhelming sense of anger and hate may have something to do with his prolonged sentence," Hajime mutters, "Almost as if he's been trying to cause major havoc for the sake of retrieving what was taken from him."

The thickness of the plane muffles out the conversation outside, but everyone believes the patrol copters were ordering the culprit to surrender. However, reading their spirits, the Ouendan saw a different story to the situation beforehand.

_These fools...!_ seethed the spirit of the prisoner, _They have no idea the power I possess! Once I reach a place where the people see me as a friendly outsider, I will use this power to gain what was rightfully mine! And this time, there won't be anyone who will stop me from achieving that goal!_

"Kuso!" Ryuta growls angrily, "Whatever that arrogant bastard's got, he's going to use it on us as a way of threatening the cops into backing off."

"But what does he have that could accomplish that!?" Hajime asked.

"I don't know. But judging by the amount of dark energy that's flowing through him because of this thing, it can't be good."

"What we do, Ippongi-sama?" Suzuki asked, "Passenger not bother enough for cheer."

"Not much we can do at this point," Ryuta mutters frustratingly, "If we try to cheer now, we'd only crush the spirits of those who still have faith in the cops' rally."

"Well, I hate to be the bear of bad news, but..." Hajime began, seeming to hint towards the sudden, eerie glow of the prisoner before them.

"What happening!?" Suzuki yelps, "J-Yama glowing!"

All of a sudden, the Ouendan's bodies start to tremble uncontrollably as a horrifying pang stabs their heart like a knife. They raise their arms to stare at the sight before them, causing the trembling increasing from the strain.

"Ryuta... What's going on!?" Hajime squeaked, his voice shaking from an unknown fright as he grabs his arms and tries to quell the feeling.

"The glow..." Ryuta mutters, "The growing darkness within his heart. It's causing our own hearts to quake in fear. I...I can't seem to calm down!"

"But then...if we're in this state..."

"We can't do anything..." Ryuta growls in frustration, "We're sitting ducks at this point. And if someone tries to call on us for support when we can't calm ourselves down, we'll only be transferring our own fears into theirs, making the situation worse."

The plane suddenly shakes as a bolt of lightning flies out of J-Yama's glowing body and hits the side. Jago and Aimay snap to attention from the impact, looking around.

"**Aniki! What's going on!?**" Jago cries, holding tight onto his little sister. Hajime could only stare out the window as more bolts flew out of the glowing entity.

"**Both of you, get behind me!**" Hajime ordered, ushering his younger siblings away from the window. Ryuta turns his attention to the passengers who started panicking when the plane began shaking from random explosions.

"**EVERYONE!! GET AWAY FROM THE WINDOWS!!**" he shouts, "**GET AS FAR AWAY FROM THE SIDES OF THE PLANE AS YOU CAN!!**"

Though the passengers were too scared to, they heeded Ryuta's suggestion and began scrambling to the center of the plane to avoid getting caught in the explosions. Hajime grabs his siblings and follows after them, Ryuta, Saito and Suzuki soon joining him.

Minutes after vacating the rows near the window, the thick glass exposing the evening sky explode, sending shrapnel everywhere. The passengers panic some more as they duck down as low as they could to avoid getting skewered by the flying shards. Hajime shields his siblings while Saito and Suzuki try to shield Ryuta against his better judgment.

Outside, J-Yama laughs maniacally as he continues to glow and send bolts into the plane. The patrol copters continue to harass him despite his earlier warnings.

"**You fools!**" he screams, "**Do you not care that there are passengers in need of help!? Leave now, or I'll increase my power and destroy them like fire to a paper!**"

"**Do not make this anymore difficult than it is, Prisoner 69!**" one of the copters boomed, "**If you do not stop this onslaught, you will be putting yourself in danger!**"

"**Fools! I was and never will be in danger now that I have a lucky charm to help me out!**" J-Yama reaches into his pocket and pulls out the glowing meteor piece, "**And unless you do as I say, I will use this charm to annihilate everyone!**" he finishes with an insane laughter as he grips the rock tighter, completely oblivious to the control panels of the helicopter sparking from an unknown malfunction.

The copter suddenly loses control, sending him flying towards the plane. J-Yama screams in fright as his ride crashes into the engine of the left wing, blowing several propellers off.

Everyone inside the plane panics as it takes a sudden nosedive towards the clouds blocking out the view of terra firma. With no way of knowing what could emerge from the clouds, the passengers continue to fear for their lives while the Ouendan brace themselves for impact.

The pilots of the plane grit their teeth as they struggle to regain control, barely managing to pull it back up high enough for it to land safely on whatever surface comes into view.

Minutes after getting the plane back up into position, the entire foundation shakes from another thunderous noise. This time, it was the sound of the plane skidding across the soft sand of a desert. The impact with the ground sends nearly everyone flying across the room, most of them slamming into seats and corners while others safely glide to a stop down the aisle.

The Ouendan manage to keep their ground throughout the experience until it finally came to a stop. Once most of the passengers had regained their senses, a voice booms on the plane's speakers.

"**Passengers, we apologize for the rough landing,**" the flight attendant said, "**We advise that everyone vacate the plane immediately and await further instructions.**"

Doing as told, the passengers quickly exited the plane through the doors glancing, around at their new surroundings.

"**Where are we, Aniki?**" Jago asked nervously.

"**Out danger, that's for sure,**" Hajime sighs.

"**Yeah, but now we seem to be in the middle of nowhere,**" Suzuki mutters, looking around, "**How will we be able to find help at this point?**"

"Look! There it is!" calls a voice. The Ouendan turn to see lights shining on them and most of the passengers exiting the plane. Though the bright moon gave some light to the area around them, the car lights obscured anyone's chances of knowing who witnessed the crash. The Ouendan, however, sensed two spirits jump out the car and run towards them, seeming to indicate they were the closest of the other passengers.

"We saw, the crash! Are you alright?" called another voice. The two people stop in front of the Ouendan, revealing their appearance. One is a magician with orange, spiky hair pushed down by his top hat and a pair of curly whiskers. Next to him is his assistant, her hair blonde and bound in a high, knotted ponytail; wearing a blue, one strapped halter top, covered by a white, fuzzy coat, short skirt, and high heel shoes.

"Can you tell us where we are?" Ryuta asked. The two look at each other before the girl looks back at him.

"You crashed in the Nevada desert," she answered, "Just ten miles from Las Vegas."

"L...Las Vegas!?" the Ouendan yelp in shock.

End Notes:

Those of you expecting the Noble Squad (Blue Ouendan) to make an appearance, I hate to disappoint you, but there are two reasons why I won't introduce them so soon.

First of all, the fanfic takes place four years before Ouendan 2. And according to the game's cutscene, the Noble Squad make an sudden entrance on a boat (not to mention the fact the two squads started fighting each other up until the last level of the game), indicating they're newcomer status.

Second, I couldn't find a whole lot of information on the Noble Squad other than the fact they came from another part of Japan (don't expect me to rely on Wikipedia for information either after they, once again, botched up on the Ouendan rankings). And I don't want to base personality on just their appearance (mainly because I don't want to upset any fans of the Noble Squad).


	12. Episode 12: Lights, Money, Mayhem!

Episode 12: Lights, Money, Mayhem! The Life of Las Vegas

"Whoa!" Jago gasps as Ryuta and Hajime enter one of the hotel suites in Las Vegas. The room had two, twin-size beds, a large TV, a chandelier in the center ceiling and a huge window overlooking the light-sparkling city.

Both he and Aimay ran over to the window, peering outside at the amount of neon lights lighting up the ground below.

"**It's so high!**" he yells, turning to the others as they tossed their backpacks onto one end of the room, "**Are we really staying here for a while!**"

"**At least until we can secure some train tickets to New York,**" Hajime said, sitting on one of the beds and taking his hat off to scratch his head.

"**Koneko-chan wants to go swimming in giant pool!**" Aimay squeals, waving her arms around.

"**Me too!**" Jago said, bouncing up and down, "**Can we, Aniki!**"

"**Not tonight. We just got here and we're still recovering from the crash,**" Hajime said, putting his hat back on, "**Look, I promise to take you down to the pool tomorrow morning after breakfast while the others are looking for a train to New York.**"

Jago looks over to Aimay, "**Come on, Aimay! Let's hurry to bed so the sun will come up early!**" Aimay nodsas they ran over to one of the beds and jumped in.

"Excited, aren't they?" Ryuta asked as he watched the two throw the cover over each other and shut their eyes, waiting to fall asleep.

"First time to America," Hajime said, "Who wouldn't be excited about being in places that're only seen in postcards and TV programs?"

"**Let's go to the casino!**" Suzuki pipes up as he runs into the room with an anticipated grin on his face, Saito following right beside him. Ryuta and Hajime stare at him in uncertain confusion.

"You want to go to the Casino at this time of night?" Hajime mutters.

"I'm afraid to ask, but any particular reason why?" Ryuta mutters nervously. Suzuki holds a marmalade tabby towards him.

"**We were just getting our stuff out of the limo those magicians were driving in when this cat showed up and waved to us with his right paw!**" Suzuki said excitedly, pulling the cat back and petting its head, "**When a cat waves with its right paw, it means that we'll have good prosperity!**" Saito nods in agreement, also grinning with anticipation, "**We want to go to the casino before the luck wears off!**"

"Are you serious!" Hajime nearly wails in annoyance, "How do you even know he wasn't grooming himself when you spotted him!"

"Well, after seeing the cat hanging around Dragon Café waving its right paw during our last cheer, it'd be hard not to believe these charms," Ryuta sighs, rubbing his temple in frustration.

Jago's sleep, meanwhile, was constantly interrupted by Aimay fidgeting on the left side of the bed where she chose to sleep. He looks over to see her face squint before sitting up.

"**What's the matter?**" he asked.

"**Mama...Papa...**" Aimay whimpers, "**Koneko-chan can't sleep unless Mama and Papa there!**"

"**T-Take it easy, Aimay!**" Jago panics, "**We'll see Mommy and Daddy soon! Just try and sleep until then!**"

"**Koneko-chan wanna see Mama and Papa now!**" she whines, thrashing around. Jago grits his teeth as he grabs a hold of his little sister and tries to rock her.

"**Ha...oh! How did it go!**" he mutters in hesitation before nearly yelling in frustration as Aimay's crying worsened, "**I don't know what to do!**"

"**Jago, what's wrong?**" Hajime asks as he walks over to his younger siblings. Jago looks over to him, freaking out.

"**Aniki! Aimay can't sleep unless Mommy and Daddy tuck her in! I...I wanted to try that technique you used last time they pulled an overnight shift, but I can't remember how you did it!**"

"Technique?" Ryuta mutters as he and the two cohorts look at each other in wonder.

"**Take it easy, Jago,**" Hajime said walking to the other side of the bed and placing his hands on Jago and Aimay's shoulder, "**Just keep her comfortable. I'll take care of this.**"

Jago compresses his lips as he keeps his arms around Aimay while laying back down. The other Ouendan watch as Hajime kneels down beside them, keeping his hands on their shoulders as he closes his eyes and goes into deep concentration.

_I walked across an empty land  
I knew the pathway like the back of my hand  
I felt the earth beneath my feet  
Sat by the river and it made me complete_

The Ouendan blink in shock upon hearing Hajime singing to his younger siblings in a surprisingly soft tone. Aimay continues to squirm, but wasn't crying as loudly as she was a moment ago.

_Oh simple thing where have you gone  
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on  
So tell me when you're gonna let me in  
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin_

_I came across a fallen tree  
I felt the branches of it looking at me  
Is this the place we used to love?  
Is this the place that I've been dreaming of?_

As Hajime continues to sing, his spiritual energy seems to seep out of his hands still resting on Jago and Aimay's shoulder and wrap around them like ribbons. The energy gave off a warm, comforting feeling, causing the two's eyes to sag the more it surrounded them.

By the time he finished part of the song, the energy he gave off lulled his younger siblings into a quiet, peaceful slumber. The rest of the Ouendan just stare at him in stunned silence.

"**I didn't know you could sing, Tanaka-sama!**" Suzuki squeaks.

"Well, since Ouendan is mostly just moves, I didn't bother pointing it out," Hajime said, standing up, "I've only known how to sing American songs, yet for some reason it seems to help them go to sleep at night. Twirl was the one who suggested I use my spirits as a comforter to help lull them to sleep faster."

"You sure are full of surprises, Hajime," Ryuta said.

* * *

Spin and Starr returned to EBA Central late that night. The two were chatting about the time they spent hanging with the Cheer Girls before nearly running into Chieftain who was heading the opposite direction.

"Yo, Chief!" Spin laughs, "Why the serious face? Somethin' wrong?"

"Have you been watching the news?" Chieftain asked, "They say that around midnight a plane crashed in the Nevada desert. Though no one was seriously hurt, there is speculation that some escaped prisoner had a device that was used to destroy most of the plane."

"A prisoner!" Starr yelps, "Is it anyone we should know?"

"No one knows. The helicopter he escaped in exploded seconds after the plane was attacked. For all we know, he could be dead."

"Shoot. This' startin' to remind me of 9/11," Spin mutters frustratingly, "Any idea where that plane came from?"

"According to the observation of the passengers, they appear to have come from Japan," Chieftain said.

"Japan?" Starr looks over to Spin, furrowing her eyebrows in devastation, "You don't think..."

"I hope not," Spin mutters, seeming to understand who Starr was about to mention.

Missy rushes over to the small group, looking hesitant, "Guys, you're not going to believe this! Foxx and I were testing out some upgrades on our EBA sub when we found this man floating along the surface."

"A man! Is he okay?" Starr yelps.

"They're running tests on him right now. He looks terrible! His hair's a mess, his clothes're burnt...it's almost as if he's been caught in a fire!"

Starr and Spin look at each other before following Missy to the infirmary, finding Foxx standing outside with a worried look on her face.

"Foxx! Is he okay?" Starr asked frantically.

"For the outside, not so much," Foxx sighed, not bothering to look at her Diva friend, "As for everything else. We can't be sure until he regains consciousness."

Spin looks into the room, seeing the man Missy described resting in one of the beds. The minute his eyes fixed onto him, a faint, but sudden pang of darkness pounds his heart, causing him to instinctively cringe.

"Spin, is something wrong?" Starr asked, catching sight of his sudden change in expression.

"I dunno," Spin mutters, "But for some reason, this guy is giving off these bad vibes that's makin' me think he shouldn't be here."

The Divas looked at each other, seeming to understand Spin's ability to declare anyone he saw friend or foe.

"So what're you gonna do, Spin?" Foxx asked. Spin starts to back away.

"I'd prefer to send this guy to another hospital, cause this vibes pissin' me off."

"I doubt it's gonna happen, Spin," Missy sighs, "The Commander thinks he may've been involved in that plane crash earlier and wants to ask him a few questions. I don't think he'll be leaving so soon."

Spin sighs in annoyance, "That's what I'm afraid of..." he then turns around, "Oh well, tonight ain't a good time to rant about it, so I should just head off to bed." He then walks off. The Divas watch, wondering whether they should be worrying about their new arrival or do what Spin did and just walk away.

* * *

Quarters spill out of the opening below the slots as Hajime pulls his hat off to catch them.

"**Lucky 7s!**" Suzuki laughs, rubbing the tabby on the head as it starts purring in content, "**I told you this cat was good luck!**"

"Luck just runs in the family," Hajime said, "After all. Jago's unintentional luck was the reason we got here in the first place. Though Las Vegas isn't exactly the kind of place I'd wanna wind up in."

"Well, this should tie us over until we get to New York," Ryuta said, scooping the quarters from Hajime's hat and dumping them into a small, red sack with the ouen emblem surrounding it.

"**Let's see what else we can do to increase our savings!**" Suzuki pipes up, jittering with anticipation.

"Isn't the slots enough?" Hajime grumbles, throwing his hat back on, "If we keep hanging around here, we're gonna lose the money we got and have to find temporary jobs just to pay for the next train!"

"Not to mention we'd end up like that guy behind us," Ryuta groans, eyeing the row of slots behind him. The others follow his gaze, seeing Thomas, the magician who helped them earlier, sitting in front of the slots while eagerly waiting for them to stop spinning.

"Almost..." he mutters, "Almost...!" After several seconds, the slots stopped rolling one by one. The result: two dollar signs and a zero between them, practically spelling "SOS". Thomas screams in frustration, "I can't believe this stupid machine stole at all my cash!"

"You...YOU STUPID APE!" Angelina, Thomas' assistant, roared while socking him in the jaw, "That was this month's paycheck!" Thomas wiggles his fingers in confidence despite the bruising of his cheek.

"I believe tonight's show...!" he began, throwing his hand towards a poster representing his stage performance, "...Is in the bag!"

Angelina stares at him in befuddlement, "Are you sure...?"

"Yup!"

The Ouendan also stare at the two in annoyance.

"**Someone's looking for an accident,**" Suzuki mutters. Saito then frowns and looks to the left of the room as the manager of the casino shows up in front of the two with a terrified look on his face.

"Tonight's show has been cancelled," he mutters shakily.

"WHAT!" the two scream in shock, seeing the manager's trembling increase.

"In addition...I can't pay you either..." he mutters, gaining an even more shocked and aggravated expression from the two.

"What do you mean!" Thomas wails.

"Well..." the manager whimpers, "Our casino has been...TAKEN OVER BY BANDITS!" he then shrieks as the said reason, the Fullhouse Bandits, nearly surround him with a sword to his throat, laughing maniacally.

"That's right," One of the lead bandits, wearing an outfit that looks like the Jack card sneers.

"Oh yes!" another bandit, dressed like the Queen card, giggles sinisterly.

"NAB THEM!" the last lead bandit, wearing the King card outfit, demands, pointing at the two helpless magicians. The Ouendan cringe and ran to the other side of the slot they sat at, peaking out of the corner at the bandits who began running amuck, grabbing anything that shined and stuffing it in their sacks.

"OUR PAYCHECKS!" Angelina screamed.

"I believe we should be worrying about ourselves!" Thomas shudders before rearing his head back and screaming at the top of his lungs.

_**HEEEEAAAALLLLP!**_

Suzuki frowns upon hearing Thomas' scream for help, "Ippongi-sama..."

"I know..." Ryuta mutters, "Sounds different, but the results're still the same. Someone screams like that, it could only mean one thing..."

As if on cue, a monstrous sensation of rhythm and jive pulsed in their hearts as music began playing in their ears. Though they couldn't see it from inside, they can tell that the spirits are riding a rollercoaster towards the casino seconds before leaping out.

J busts through the door while landing with Morris and Derek following close behind him. Hajime blinks in surprise upon recognizing him.

"Hey, it's Jonouchi!" he nearly blurts.

"Jonouchi?" Suzuki mutters as he, Saito and Ryuta look down at the Ouendan rookie.

"So," Ryuta said, looking back at the scene before them, "This is the Agent who was trained by Twist. This could be the perfect chance for us to see how these guys really work."

"I believe I must rescue everyone!" Thomas stammers as he looks at the bandits surrounding him. He then catches sight of the Agents skidding to a halt behind him; J pulling out and presenting his BA-2 badge.

"Knock 'em dead, pal! We'll provide the support!" J calls out. Thomas nods as he pulls his cards out and stares at the battalion before him.

_Well, my baby and me went out last Saturday night._

_I had my hair piled high; my baby just looked so right._

_Well, pick you up at ten; gotta get you home at two;_

_Mama don't know what I've got in store for you._

_Well that's alright, 'cause we're looking as cool as can be._

Thomas began flipping his cards from one hand to another, trying to figure out what he should do to quell this onslaught. Frantic, he began throwing his cards around, each one slapping a bandit and forcing them away from him. It almost seems as if he was too caught up in his own fears to realize what he's doing.

His actions came to an abrupt stop by a scream for help. Whipping around, Thomas finds Angelina tied to a chair with one of the head bandits standing by her with a sneer on his face.

"Thomas, HELP!" she screamed.

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking!" Thomas yelps, wracking his brain for ideas. He then remembers a card trick he learned from a previous magician show, grabbing one side of the cape and swinging around him, "IT'S SHOW TIME!"

He throws his arms out, sending a flurry of cards flying out of his cape, each one targeting Angelina. The cards land around her, forming a box as the bandit looks in shock. Once formed, the box explodes in an array of cards and smoke.

"WHERE'D SHE GO!" he screams as he shields himself from the flying cards and smoke surrounding his vision.

By the time the smoke cleared, Angelina had been freed and is standing by Thomas' side as he throws his hat off in a show of talents.

"The great escape!" he announces triumphantly.

"OVER HERE!" screams a voice. Thomas turns to see the manager being carted off in a barrel by the Fullhouse Bandits' henchmen.

"I believe he needs my assistance!" Thomas yelps as he takes up his cane.

_We found a little place that really didn't look half-bad._

_I had a whiskey on the rocks and change of a dollar for the jukebox._

_Well, I put a quarter right into that can,_

_But all it played was disco, man!_

_C'mon pretty baby, let's get outta here right away._

The bandits toss the manager over to their female superior before taking up swords and rushing Thomas, who was trying to rescue their next captor. Startled, the novice magician pulls up his cane and parries one of the swords coming at him, grunting as he struggles to push the bandit back.

The music of The Stray Cats' "Rock this Town" fueled him with enough energy to finally throw his offender off and jump back just as the second bandit could attack. Yelling a battle cry, Thomas swings his cane around before pointing it at the bandits' swords, causing them to turn into flowers. Freaked, the two scrambled off while the novice magician continues his rampage towards the Queen.

_We're gonna rock this town, rock it inside out._

_We're gonna rock this town; we'll make 'em scream and shout._

_Well, let's rock! Rock! Rock, man, rock!_

_We're gonna rock till we pop; we're gonna roll till we drop._

_We're gonna rock this town, rock it inside out._

"The queen does not give up so easily!" the female bandit cackles as she holds a sword to the screaming manager.

"It's show time!" Thomas shouts as he makes a mad dash towards her. As he passes by, he swings his cane out, causing smoke to envelope both her and the manager. The queen blinks in shock before feeling something explode beside her, sending her flying through the air.

"That's entertainment!" Thomas laughs as the manager is freed from his barrel while waving his arms around with joy.

The novice magician makes a run for the casino vault, finding the last head bandit drooling at the amount of money inside.

"Riches for the taking!" he laughs.

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Thomas exclaims, grabbing his cape.

_Well, we're having a ball just a-tearing up the big dance floor!_

_Well, there's a real square cat, he looks nineteen-seventy-four._

_Well, you look at me once, you look at me twice,_

_You look at me again and there's a-gonna be a fight!_

_We're gonna rock this town, rip this place apart._

More bandits try to rush Thomas as he chases after the King. Panicked, he swings his cape around them, causing most of their weapons to disappear seconds after being ensnared. Blinking in surprise, he continues his trick, shaving more weapons off the bandits and forcing them away from him.

"Like that'll stop us!" the King shouts as he makes a dash for the vault exit.

"My cape!" Thomas yells as he tries to run after them.

Angelina notices the cat still held in Suzuki's arms and snatches him, running towards Thomas.

"Kitty!" Suzuki nearly wails out of surprise of the sudden apprehension.

"Thomas!" Angelina calls while holding the cat up, "Try your transformation trick on this cat!"

Thomas beams in realization of what Angelina is getting at, takes the cat and plops him on a table beside him, "It's show time!"

Throwing the cape around the cat, he manages to transform it into a lion who immediately charges the Fullhouse bandits, sending them screaming for the door.

"Let's beat it!" they cry, scrambling out the door.

"We'll chase them down with our flying trick!" Thomas calls out, taking to the air with Angelina following close behind.

_We're gonna rock this town, rock it inside out._

_We're gonna rock this town; we'll make 'em scream and shout._

_Well, let's rock, rock, rock, rock!_

_We're gonna rock till we pop; we're gonna roll till we drop._

_We're gonna rock this town, rock it inside out._

_We're gonna rock this town, rock it inside out._

_We're gonna rock this town, rock it inside..._

_Hey, we're gonna rock this town._

_Yeah, we're gonna rock this town._

_Rock this town, rock it inside out._

The more the bandits ran, the closer the two magicians got. Finally, Thomas reaches into his cape and pulls out a rope.

"It's show time!" he shouts, throwing the rope out as it binds the bandits like snakes, "And the finale!" he finishes, jerking the rope back and bringing the tangled mess together.

The people of the casino cheer with joy as they had watched the entire performance. The manager jumps to the front of the crowd, throwing his hands up.

"Let's give Thomas and Angelina a round of applause!" he shouts through the roaring of the crowd.

The two magicians thank the audience who began tossing gambling chips towards them. Thomas eagerly takes his hat off to catch them while Angelina cheerfully glances at the crowd. The manager shows up a second later with a tray of gold bars.

"A small tip from the casino!" he says, catching Thomas' attention as he stares at the amount of gold in astonishment.

"And this..." Angelina said, pecking a kiss on Thomas' cheek, "...is from me..."

"I believe it is a great night!" Thomas swoons.

The Agents watch the aftermath of their success from a far distance. Morris whistles as he looks over to J.

"That mission was hot, man!" he said, "I haven't seen you this jazzed up since your first mission!"

"Well," J laughs while crossing his arms, "Let's just say I had a bit of help keeping my beat and energy up."

Ryuta knew J was referring to him and the other Ouendan, who were too busy calming a bawling Suzuki down to notice the complement. He frowns a bit as he continues to eye the Agents from behind the slots.

End Notes:

1. Okay, so Max (a.k.a the tabby that hangs around the magicians and is also another character you help in a bonus episode) isn't cute, but I thought it'd be funny of Suzuki cuddles and treats him like a good luck charm.

2. Yes, I COMPLETELY exaggerated on Hajime being able to sing to his siblings. I just thought it'd be fun to throw in a few extra personas to make things more interesting.

3. No, I'm not going to explain why Suzuki's the only one not speaking English. It'd be too hard to detail at the moment (Translation: apathy).


	13. Episode 13: Back on the Road

Episode 13: Back on the Road of Achievements

Early the next morning, Jago and Aimay sat at a table in the downstairs dinning room, eating cereal and toast.

"**This' so exciting!**" Jago yells joyfully, "**I can't wait to go swimming after breakfast!**"

"**Koneko-chan too!**" Aimay squealed, "**Go swimming while waiting for train!**"

Angelina arrives soon with a bill, slipping it in front of the two. Both look at it before glancing to each other.

"**Look's like breakfast is over,**" Jago said. He reads the total; 25.00, "**Hey! Easy money!**" he reaches into his pocket and pulls out 5000yen, handing it to Angelina. The assistant magician stares at it in aggravation.

"What is this!" she nearly blurts out, staring at the yen in front of her.

"It money for food," Jago said, nervously. Angelina nearly explodes.

"Young man, we don't take foreign money!" she scolds, planting her hands on her side, "Where're your parents!"

Jago compresses his lips, "Parents not here... Elder brother take care of us..."

"Well, tell me which room he's in and I'll be glade to have a talk with him about leaving you two unattended!"

"No need for that, Ms. Angelina," said a voice from behind. Angelina whips around to see J standing behind her with a cocky grin on his face.

"Oh! Mr. Agent," she yelps, "We haven't had a chance to thank you for helping us last night."

J waves his hand, "Part of the job." He then reaches into his pocket and pulls out his wallet, handing her a fifty dollar bill, "This enough to cover the bill? And you can go ahead and keep the change."

Angelina stares at it in bewilderment before sighing and taking the money, "I suppose." She shoots Jago a glare before walking off. Once gone, Jago and Aimay turn to J.

"Thank you for help!" Jago pipes up.

"Least I can do to help a friend," J said, leaning against the chair Jago sat in.

"Friend? You know Ouendan?"

"Of course! Haven't met the rest of them, but I'm sure one of them is related to you, right?"

Jago beams, "Wow! You know Ouendan spirit technique! No one able to figure out that quickly!"

Aimay cocks her head to the side before throwing her hands into the air, "**Breakfast over! Let's go wake Aniki and go swimming!**"

"**Not yet, Aimay!**" Jago scolds, "**Remember what Aniki said! We have to wait 30 minutes before getting into the pool, or we'll cramp up and drown!**"

"30 minutes?" J laughs, "He's got you believin' that old wives tale?"

"You mean it not true!" Jago asks in surprise.

"Please. I've gone swimming minutes after eating and my joints haven't locked up once! I bet your brother said that so he'd have an excuse to sleep in an extra half hour. You know how noisy Las Vegas is at night."

Jago groans and sinks into his seat, "Unbelievable! Now I all hyped up! I want go swimming now, but Aniki still asleep! No go down to pool without him!"

"Well, there is a faster way of getting him out of bed. You up to learning it?" Jago and Aimay look towards J, expecting him to continue.

* * *

Ryuta hung from the chandelier by his legs, doing pull ups five minutes before looking over to Hajime, who's laying flat on his stomach in one of the twin-size beds, face buried in his pillow as he groans with fatigue.

"Are you planning to sleep all day?" he asked, "Everyone's already getting something to eat. Why not join them?"

"**I can't help it...**" Hajime mumbled groggily, too tired to speak English, "**I live in a quiet neighborhood. It's hard trying to sleep in a noisy, bright city... It's a miracle I got three hours of shut eye before Jago and Aimay tried to wake me up!**"

"You're pathetic," Ryuta teased, continuing his pull ups seconds before hearing joyous screaming from outside. He looks from his upside down position on the chandelier to see Jago and Aimay burst through the door and make a mad dash towards where Hajime slept.

"**ANIKI! WAKE UP, ANIKI!**" they shout, diving onto Hajime's back. The rookie Ouendan shouts in surprise and pain before collapsing back on the bed.

"**Come on, Aniki! You promised you'd take us swimming before we catch the train!**" Jago complained as Hajime lifts his head to check the time.

"**It's only been five minutes, you two!**" he groaned, dropping his head back on the pillow while waving his hand, "**Go watch TV for the next 25 minutes!**"

"You still believe in that crap!" Ryuta snorts, planting his fists in his sides, "Come on, even you know that's just a stupid myth!"

"Not helping Ryuta," Hajime groaned. Jago and Aimay slump their shoulders and frump before looking at each other enthusiastically.

"**Cool!**" Jago pipes up, "**Now we get to use that trick the guy with the funky hairdo taught us!**"

"Guy with the what!" Hajime snaps, jerking his head up. He turns to see his two younger siblings hold a bucket ofice and water over their heads. Panicked, he scrambles to get out of bed just as the two turned the bucket over, spilling the contents all over his head and back.

The end result reached as far as the third floor of the hotel suite...

_**KUSOOOO!**_

* * *

"You do realize he's gonna kill you for that," Morris muttered, crossing his arms as he and J walked down the halls near the pool area.

"Relax, Morris," J laughs, "He's gonna be woken up anyway, why not talk his brother and sister into dumping a bucket of cold water on him, thinking it'll speed up his naptime?" He then stops and glances out the glass window showing the giant, seashell shaped swimming pool taking up 30ft of the empty lot.

The tail end of the seashell had steps and appears to be the shallow end of the pool, being 3ft deep. The larger body of the pool ranged from 7ft to 14ft in depth, with a diving board hanging over the top end of the shell.

Hajime stood at the tail end of the pool, pulling tiger-shaped water wings over Aimay's arm with a somewhat aggravated look on his face. Aimay wore a yellow swimsuit with orange stripes and a tail sticking out of the end.

Suzuki heads out of the hotel a second later, seeing Ryuta standing near the edge of the pool's shell-shaped body before noticing Hajime placing Aimay in a small flotation ring with the head of a cat sticking out of it.

"**Look's like someone gave up on catching more Zs,**" Suzuki snickered.

"Don't make me yank you in with me," Hajime grumbled.

"**Mind telling me why you're wearing your uniform in the pool?**"

"For starters, I didn't think we'd get stuck in Las Vegas, so I didn't bother packing any swimwear. And besides, I'm already wet, so why bother looking for something appropriate to wear if it's just going to end up in the dryer either way?" Hajime looks over to Suzuki, "Where's Saito. I know he went with you to get something to eat."

"**He went to secure train tickets to New York,**" Suzuki said, "**Figured since you're taking your brother and sister swimming, he'd use the opportunity to go look for a decent express station.**"

Jago shows up a second later, wearing black trunks with the red Ouen emblem on the corner legs, "**Isn't this exciting, Aimay! We get to go swimming while we wait for the train to come!**"

"**Nii-san give Koneko-chan wave ride!**" Aimay squealed, flapping her arms up and down as she paddles towards the diving board at the other end of the pool.

"**Sure thing,**" Jago said, heading over to the diving board at a steady, yet fast pace.

"**Wave ride?**" Suzuki muttered, a bit uncomfortable with the idea.

"It's something he learned from a classmate at school," Hajime said, wading through the water after Aimay. By the time he reached the bottom of the seashell's body, there was an instant drop in footing, bring the depth down to 7ft. Swinging his arms back and forth while kicking his legs past each other, Hajime manages to stay afloat as he continues to follow after his sister.

When Jago reached the top of the diving board, he saw Aimay nearing it, about to pass by before Hajime shows up and grabs hold of her flotation ring.

"**Ready, Aniki!**" he shouts impatiently.

"**In a moment!**" Hajime shouts back, pulling Aimay a foot from the diving board and turning her around to face him. After making some more adjustments while glancing up, the rookie Ouendan ducks below the surface and swims away from Aimay.

Jago beams with anticipation as he bounces off the diving board, dropping to the water below with a splash that nearly touched the edge of the flimsy plank. The large, rapid flowing ripples that formed from the splash push Aimay a couple of feet across the pool, causing her to squeal along the way.

"FAN! FAN!" Aimay laughs as she drifts along the pool while slowly spinning.

"That's the wave ride?" Ryuta mutters as Hajime came back up.

"Hey, you may think it's dangerous," he said, "But as long as I'm keeping tabs on this, these two have yet to accidentally kill each other."

Jago pops out of the water and throws his arms around Hajime, his light weight nearly pulling him below the surface.

"**Hey! Water's great! You should join us!**" he shouts. Suzuki snorts and turns around.

"**Love to, but I'd have to be in the same predicament as your brother to be...**" he's cut off by the tabby, now owned by Thomas and Angelina, clamping onto his face while screaming in fright. Ryuta stares at the cat a minute before glancing to where it came from, seeing a hoard of doves flying towards them in a swarming rage.

The Tanaka siblings watch as Ryuta panics, trying to swat the doves away while Suzuki struggles to get the cat off his face, muffling Japanese obscenities. Suzuki's foot slips off the edge of the pool, causing him to fall towards the water. Startled, he grabs the nearest object he could find...which happens to be Ryuta's topknot. The Ouendan leader yelps as he struggles to stay standing, leaning forward while flailing his arms around.

The cat, meanwhile, freaks out by the sight of the water below him and leaps off Suzuki's face, landing and bouncing off Ryuta's head while shoving both towards the said substance.

"**Alright! Wave rides for everyone!**" Jago cheers as he turns Aimay around. Hajime yelps, turning to swim off. But by the time his back was on his falling companions, the large ripples from the splash rammed into him and his younger brother and sister, shoving them towards the other side of the seashell-shaped pool.

"WEEE!" Aimay squeals as she, once again, drifts along the water while spinning to face her older brothers; Hajime struggling to regain his buoyancy, "**Ittetsu-san and Ippongi-san make big splash!**"

Ryuta comes up in the center of the pool seconds later, spitting out a mouth full of water. His spiky hair, now waterlogged, nearly covers his face while the ball of his topknot looks like a high ponytail.

"**Now you're all wet like Aniki!**" Jago laughs as Ryuta brought his hands up to ruffle the water out of his hair.

"**Real funny, Jago...**" Ryuta grumbles irritably, managing to shake his hair back to its usual spikiness, despite the tips still sagging from being waterlogged. He then turns his attention to the cat as he scrambles back into the hotel with the doves chasing after him.

"**Those two need to teach their pets some behavioral lessons,**" Suzuki blubs. Everyone turns to see him up to his nose in water, his Mohawk barely destroyed.

"**Finally decided to come up, eh?**" Ryuta asked, bringing his hands back below the surface.

"**How come you're treading so slowly?**" Hajime asked, "**I know you can swim better than this.**"

"**Maybe Ittetsu-san ate too much!**" Aimay giggles, waving her arms up and down while splashing, "**Too fat to keep more than his head out of the water!**"

"**FAT!**" Suzuki growls, bringing more of his head out of the water, "**I'll have you know that I...!**"he suddenly stops when a shot of pain ran through his right leg, causing it to lock up. The others watch as the unfortunate Ouendan pulls his cramped up leg out of the water, yelling in pain while splashing around on his remaining, good leg.

"**Hey, didn't you say that whole 30 minute rule was a dumb old myth?**" Jago asked.

"**Leave it Suzuki to turn that into fact,**" Hajime sighs, rubbing the back of his head.

Suddenly, a life ring drops over Suzuki. Desperate, he grabs onto the corners as he was being pulled to the other end of the pool.

"Well, I guess there're some wives tales that hold true in some people," chuckles a voice. The remaining occupants in the pool turn to see J standing near the edge with his hands in his pocket and two towels over his shoulders. Morris stood next to him, pulling the life ring off Suzuki, who props himself on his hands and knees while catching his startled breath.

"Hey! You're guy from earlier!" Jago pipes up, "Why you out here!"

"We heard there were some doves runnin' loose and thought we'd come to see if they was out here," Morris said.

"Lie!" Suzuki pants, startling Morris as he stares up at him, "Agent not come for to catch bird!"

Morris cringes as J laughs.

"I keep tellin' ya, Morris. You couldn't fool these guys if they were locked in a room with no windows."

"So, you've known we were stuck here since last night," Ryuta said as he swam to the end of the pool where J stood.

"We heard about the plane crash," J said as Ryuta and Hajime climbed out of the pool. He pulls the two towels off his shoulders and hands them to the soaking Ouendan, "We just didn't realize you were one of the victims until that robbery at the casino."

"Wow, looks like your range is improving since I last saw you," Hajime said, rubbing the towel on his head, "Three months ago you couldn't sense anyone unless you touch them."

"Well, it's still not perfect," J said with a shrug, "So far, I've only been able to gain a mile radius. But with Spin now part of the group, I have more time to focus on expanding my sixth sense."

"We haven't seen him in a while," Ryuta said, rubbing the towel on the ball end of his topknot, "We figured he was having too much fun with his duties to take some time off."

"It's a funny thing you pointed that out. 'Cause from what I heard last night after returning from the mission, Spin arrived in Japan an hour before he even found out you were hopping a plane to America. A bit disappointed, but he at least caught some of you still hanging around Japan."

"Well, we're going to be here a while, so he won't have too much of a problem running into us," Ryuta said, hanging the towel around his shoulders with the ball of his topknot messy and out of place.

"That reminds me," Morris began, turning to the group, "What happen to that other Ouendan who was with you. The one with the eye patch?"

As if on cue, Saito shows up, glancing at the two Agents while heading over to Ryuta and Hajime. They stare at each other a minute before nodding. Hajime turns to Jago and Aimay still playing in the pool.

"**Okay, you two! Dry up!**" he orders, "**Train leaves in a few hour!**" his siblings moan in disappointment before doing as told and heading over to the end of the pool.

"So, where you guys headed?" J asked as Hajime escorts his brother and sister back inside the hotel.

"New York," Ryuta answered, "Another member of our squad is already down there, so we're hoping to catch up to him before figuring out what to do afterwards."

"Oh yeah, I heard about the whole 'physical evidence' jazz. Figured out how you gonna work it?"

"We have some potential candidates, but since they're holed up in your base, we figured we try other possibilities before focusing on them."

Beeping sounds in J's pocket as he reaches in and pulls a device out, holding it to his ear a minute before rubbing his temples in frustration, "Oh, you're kiddin' me!"

"Something wrong?" Ryuta asked.

"That was Spin," J sighs, putting the device away, "He says the guy Foxx and Missy pulled from the ocean just woke up and the Commander's going to talk to him. He's been acting snippy ever since he saw the guy. And checkin' him out myself, I couldn't blame him for being in a foul mood."

"No good," Suzuki mutters, standing up, "I check up on base. Cheating mayor survive crash. Plan stay in America to gain power."

"Cheating mayor?" Morris mutters.

"Two years ago, our squad was summoned to cheer a candidate for mayor who was being pushed around by his opponent, J-Yama," Ryuta said, "In Japan, candidates aren't allowed to hand out gifts to voters because it camouflages any information that could turn them away. J-Yama wanted the position so badly he practically ignored the laws by using booth babes and some strange spray can that turns people's hairs into afros. Because of his illegal campaign, he was arrested just before the election ended."

"But...if he was arrested for breaking Japanese law, how come he's been stuck in prison for two years?" J asked, "Aren't misdemeanors supposed to last a couple of months to a year?"

"That's what I thought too," Ryuta crosses his arms while looking at them, "But apparently, he did something during his imprisonment and his parole began to expand beyond what a minor felon should be facing. From my point of view, J-Yama is so hungry for power and money he forgoes the use of hair spray and girls for something with both bark and bite."

He looks up at J, "He probably wanted to escape to another country to get away from those who wanted to stop him. Then use any means necessary to gain control of that country's political power and economy. He didn't count on the fact that he'd wind up in America and he's about to become even more enraged when he founds out that there's another organization that could snuff him out of his goal."

Ryuta's frown tightens, balling his fists within his crossed arms, "And once he finds out that EBA bares no connection to Ouendan, he could use it to force us at each others throats. The end result would not only tear our organizations of spirit and energy, but could start a war between our nations almost similar to the Second World War sparked by the attack on Pearl Harbor."

"Seriously!" Morris exclaims, looking over to J, "We'd better hurry back then and see what's goin' on!"

"You're right," J mutters, "The last thing we need is someone who wants to scratch us off the list of solutions just to fill his pockets with dough."

"**We should be going too, Ippongi-sama**," Suzuki said, "**The train will be here soon.**"

"Well," J said with furrowed eyebrows, "The leave is sudden, but it was nice finally meeting you."

"Likewise," Ryuta said as the two shook hands, "And here's hoping we run into each other again soon." J nods as he and Morris head into the hotel.

* * *

Spin leans against the doorframe in the infirmary as J shows up, about to say something when he noticed his angered expression and quickly closes his mouth. Looking towards the inner infirmary, he sees the prisoner wolfing down food while sobbing in joy over its delicious taste; something he probably hasn't had in a long time.

"He looks like he hasn't eaten in days," J mutters.

"I know," Spin mutters back, "But still, I can't stop hatin' this guy. And I can't figure out why."

"According to the Ouendan, he's some convicted man who'd do close to anything to get power and money."

"Shoot, that explains the..." Spin suddenly stop and stares at J in shock, "Wait! You saw the Ouendan! When!"

"Early this morning," J said with a grin, "Remember the report last night about a plane from Japan crashing in the Nevada desert? Turns out they were actually one of the victims involved." Spin's shock increases in horrification as J steps back and throws his hands up in defense, "But they're okay. Just a bit shaken up from the ordeal."

"Ouendan...?" the prisoner stutters shakily as Spin and J shoot their glances towards him, "You are friends with Ouendan!" he glares at the two in anger, "How can you even think of trusting them! Do you have any idea what they did that lead to me being like this!"

"Yo, shut up, man!" Spin snaps, turn to face the prisoner, "Whatever them Ouendan did was for good reason! You ain't got a right to be dissin' them like that!"

"Easy, Spin," J mutters, pushing Spin back, "If you get hostile on him before the Commander shows up, he could use it as an excuse to throw you out." He then glances behind him, "On the other hand..."

Spin looks in J's direction, finding Kahn walking towards them, hands behind his back. He takes a moment to study the two's angered and concerned face before heading inside and over to the prisoner.

"You!" he exclaims, grabbing Kahn's necktie and yanking him down to his level, "What is the idea of making friends with Ouendan!"

Kahn calmly stares at the frightened prisoner before sighing and sitting down on a nearby chair.

"I admit some of my Agents have known the Ouendan," Kahn said, grabbing the prisoner's wrist and yanking it off his necktie, "But that does not mean we're friends with them." He then gently puts the arm down, "Judging by your angst towards them, it seems they were doing more than just cheering for whoever calls on them."

"Then you understand what Ouendan did to me!" the prisoner whines, "I wanted to do what is best for the people of Japan when I chose to run for mayor! But some upstart did not appreciate my campaign and called on Ouendan to stop me! They used their performance to fool the cops into arresting me for no reason and I have been stuck in prison for two years, wondering why no one would release me!"

Kahn sighs again in frustration, "Those fools! I told them if they keep up this nonsense, they're going to wind up getting themselves into trouble!"

"But it ain't nonsense, Commander!" Spin pipes up, marching into the room, "Don't you remember how I got here in the first place! It was because they helped teach me the truth about lifting the spirits of the world!"

"And I credit them for that," Kahn said, not bothering to look at Spin, "But that's about as far as they have gotten in my book. As long as they continue to think their hearts can answer questions for them, I am not going to put much effort into believing they have as much reliability to the world as we do."

"Why you gotta be hard on them like that! If you had at least tried to learn the methods of seeing ones spirits like me, J and my parents, you'd have a different opinion!"

The prisoner looks between Spin and Kahn before slamming his hands on the tray in aggravation.

"Do you not see!" he exclaims, "This boy is traumatized by what Ouendan did to him! They forced him to believe they are good citizens when all they really care about is strutting their performance to make people happy, regardless of what background they have!"

Spin snaps his attention towards the prisoner, "I'm warnin' you, dawg! Stop treatin' the Ouendan like they was the worst offenders on the planet!" the prisoner just stares at him in sympathy.

"You poor, poor boy!" he mutters, throwing his hands on Spin's shoulders, "It must be hard trying to realize the bad they have done to you!" Spin struggles to pull free, but the man's grip only increases, "You are probably so scared that they will hurt you again that you cannot even bring yourself to admit the bad things they have done to you!"

The instant the prisoner's grip increased, a sudden jolt of ice-cold fear runs through Spin's bloodstream, causing his face to twist in raging terror.

"GET THE HELL OFF ME!" he practically screams, punching the prisoner with enough force to throw him off the bed. A split second after the hostilities, Spin snaps back to his senses, realizing what had just happened. Stuttering, he looks over to Kahn who frowns in anger.

"Agent Spin..." he mutters.

"C-Commander...I didn't mean to..." Spin stutters, backing away. He then glares at the prisoner in anger before turning around and storming out of the room.

"Wait, Spin!" J calls out. He attempts to follow, but the feeling of fright and anger quickly stops him. Frowning, he looks back into the room as the prisoner stumbles back onto the bed, rubbing his bruised cheek.

"So traumatized!" he whines, "You must set that boy straight before he becomes like Ouendan!"

"Agent Spin's actions are out of line," Kahn said, "But I believe it's not because of the Ouendan's actions that resulted in him brashly defending them."

"But you do not understand! If Ouendan continue to run loose, more people will be in danger! You must do something to stop them before they cheer for someone bad!"

"They can't do much as long as they're still in Japan," Kahn said, "However, should they somehow manage to make it here, for the soul purpose of throwing their psychedelic beliefs around and cheering for people who want to cause harm, I will see to it that they leave this country with more than just souvenirs in their travel bag."

J cringes upon hearing what Kahn said. Though he knew the Ouendan would've caught onto the vow, he worries about what would happen if the EBA Commander realized they had already crossed boarders into America. Sighing in frustration, he heads out of the infirmary and down the hall.

* * *

Spin laid on his bed in his CD-littered apartment, hands behind his head as he stares at the ceiling while kicking a soccer-shaped Hacky Sack with his right foot. His wore the unbuttoned gaku-ran outfit in place of his Agent suit to avoid getting too much attention from his neighbors. He couldn't stop thinking about what had just happened a moment ago when he uncharacteristically punched the convicted felon away from him. And though he should think bad about his actions, he couldn't help but feel good about it.

His thoughts were cut off by a knock on the door.

"It's open!" he shouts without turning to look, the Hacky Sack landing on his ankle. He hears the door open as it slams into a stack of CDs, knocking them over.

"My god! Do you seriously live here?" cries a voice. Spin immediately turns onto his stomach and stares at the person at the door.

"J!" he yelps in surprise. The pompadour haired Agent wades his way into the room, wearing a black, leather jacket over a white turtleneck sweater and black jeans.

"Sorry for the sudden intrusion," J said, scratching his head, "You weren't in your quarters, so I used the radar in the command room to look for you." He then glances around the one room, CD littered scene, "I didn't think you'd live in a place like this."

"Hey! It's cheap, alright? Ten-times better than livin' in the streets for six months."

"I understand that. But would it kill you to clean up this place at least once a month? It's no wonder my dogs refused to go in with me."

"Been too busy babysittin' my Uncle and dealin' with the black market. A miracle I was able to keep my clothes clean with the amount of chores shoved at me." Spin turns to a sitting position beside his bed, "Why're you here, anyway? I doubt it's to criticize my crib."

"Pretty much to get away from the cold stench that guy's giving off," J said with a shrug, "I know it doesn't bother you unless he's within your sights, but for me..." He shudders upon thinking about it.

"Yeah, I get it. It's hard enough trying to ignore the sense when you can feel stuff for miles. But what's buggin' me is why he's givin' off that feeling. He looks so helpless, yet his spirit is burnin' somethin' bad. I can't figure out if what he blabbed about earlier was all true."

"Would've been the same for me if I hadn't ran into your friends earlier," J said, "According to them, he broke Japanese law while trying to run for mayor and has been stirring up trouble trying to get back into that position. And the way their spirit's flowing, it seems they're having as much trouble trying to understand the guy as we do. The only conclusion they can think of is that he'll do close to anything to get what he wants; even throw our nations to war if the squadron and agency battle each other to an unneeded retirement."

"If that's the case, you think we should go look for them and see if they can help us figure this guy out?"

"They're already on a train to New York. And since it might take a couple of days before they get there, we're pretty much up the creek without a paddle." J puts his hands in his pockets, "Well, let's forget about this whole spirit thing for now. You wanna grab something to eat?"

"Sure thing!" Spin said, hoping off the bed as the two head out of the apartment.

End Notes:

Yeah, the "wave ride" might not be a good technique to try in real life unless you're looking for trouble.


	14. Episode 14: Broadway or Highway

Episode 14: Broadway or Highway, the Story of Success

One day, in a basketball court on the other side of a quiet neighborhood, Ted, a 10-year-old boy wearing an orange vest over a blue flannel shirt, and shorts, runs to some kids with his miniature pug, Sam right beside him.

"Hey guys!" Ted calls out, stopping in front of some neighboring kids, "Wait long!"

"You're late!" they complained, all but angered by Ted's late arrival.

"Let's play ball!" one of the kids shouted.

"Yeah!" Pipes Ted as he bends down to pat Sam on the head, "Sam, you be a good boy and stay."

Sam barks as Ted heads off to play with the neighboring kids. After a while, he falls asleep on a truck full of hay, completely oblivious to it driving off towards the road.

A couple of hours later...

"Sam!" Ted calls out, running around the basketball court in a panic, "Come here, boy!" tears start to stream down his face as he struggles to keep from crying over the sudden disappearance of his best friend, "SAM!"

* * *

J and Spin walked along the sidewalks of Manhattan, looking around for a good place to eat. Mecho, the Shiba Inu, comes to a stop moments later, causing his brother and sisters to nearly run into him.

"Hey! Why'd you stop, Mecho!" Diablo complained.

"You smell that?" Mecho asked, sniffing the air before lolling his tongue, "I smell meatballs!" the other dogs look at each other before sniffing the air as well.

"And pepperoni!" Sabin drools. J and Spin watch as the dogs turn their nose towards an Italian Restaurant across the street.

"Italian food!" Lava howls, looking over to J, "Let's eat there, Mr. J!"

"Sure, why not," J said, "I can go for a little pasta myself."

"Cool!" Spin said, "It's been a while since I had something other than French or Asian food!"

The group crosses the street at the next stoplight and head over to the restaurant pointed out earlier. After securing the leashes to a nearby parking meter, J and Spin head inside, finding the inside almost void of people.

"Wow. Look's like the lunch rush is already out," Spin whistles. J looks around before spotting an empty table near the counter leading to the kitchen.

"Let's sit over there," he said. The two head over to the table and sat down, waiting for someone to come by with menus. After a couple of minutes, a waitress appears beside them. She had red dreadlocks tied in high pigtails, wore an orange parka, dark blue, tight jeans and a green, waist-high apron.

The waitress places two menus down before looking between the two.

"Would you like something to drink?" she asked flatly.

"Cola for me," Spin said.

"I'll have coffee," said J. The waitress nods and heads off. The two watch before looking at each other.

"Hey, did you see how depressed she was?" Spin mutters, "Almost like she ain't too happy with her job."

"I know," J said, "I get the feeling she's trying to achieve something, but I haven't figured out what it is yet."

The waitress comes back a minute later, handing Spin a cola and placing a white mug in front of J. As she was pouring coffee, J leans back in his chair, crossing his arms.

"You look like you're out to get something big," he said, grabbing the waitress' attention.

"Y-yes...how did you know?" she mutters.

"Oh, lucky guess."

The waitress sighs and places her hand on her heart.

"My dream..." she said, closing her eyes, "Is to become a dancer. But, in order for me to achieve that goal, I have to earn enough money to get the lessons I need so I can sing and dance gracefully." She sighs and looks down, "The sad thing is, I've only made enough to cover my rent. I wanted a higher payin' job, but can't seem to find one in this country."

"Don't sweat it, girl!" Spin pipes up, "You keep at it! I'm sure you'll get it soon."

"Oh, thank you!" the waitress giggles, placing a hand on her cheek, "You're the third person to encourage me towards my goal." She sighs, "Oh, to be on that stage, dancin' to a large audience. It's as if I'm livin' it right now..."

"Uh...ma'am..." J mutters, getting up.

"Yes...I can hear them cheerin' as I pull off my beautiful performance," the waitress began striking a dazzling pose as the thought of the crowd's cheering filled her ears, "Oh...thank you...thank you everyone!"

"J...I think we lost her..." Spin mumbles as he stares at the overflowing mug.

"Gee, ya think?" J grumbles, planting his fists on his side, "Next time you encourage someone pouring drinks, at least wait until they're done before hyping them up."

"What the hell are you doing!" booms a voice. The waitress suddenly snaps back to attention, freaking out at the accident she caused.

"Oh no! I'm doin' it again!" she squeaked, yanking the pot back in fright. Seconds after realizing her mistake, the door to the kitchen flies open as Kai, wearing a green, chest-high apron, steps out and marches towards her in a huff. J cringes upon seeing the size, and feeling the enormous amount of rhythmic energy pulsing from the new arrival, while Spin just sits in his seat, sipping his cola.

"Do you always zone out when someone compliments you!" Kai snaps, "You cannot achieve your dreams if they continue to shut you out of your work!"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Doumeki sir!" the waitress yelps, shaking in fright, "Please don't tell Papa! I swear I won't do it again!"

"Get back into the kitchen!" Kai orders, pointing to the door, "There is still more food to be handed out and orders to be taken!" the waitress hurriedly nods as she scrambles back into the kitchen. Kai watches her go before pulling a cloth out and picking up the overflowing mug to wipe the puddle that formed around it.

"Yo! K-san! What up, my man!" Spin shouts, grabbing the Ouendan chief's attention as he turns his eyes towards him. Though he remains stern, Spin knew he was too pleased to see him.

"I sensed a couple of strong, jiving spirits enter here," Kai said, putting the mug back down, "I did not think you were one of them."

"Three months, and I ain't slowin' down yet."

"You're sure taking this calmly," J mutters, sitting back down. Kai shoots his eyes towards him, causing his cringing to increase.

"Why'd you say that?" Spin asked, sipping his cola.

"You don't feel that? This guy is enormous! And I don't mean just in body mass!" Kai's frown tightens. J throws his hands up in defense, "Whoa, don't get me wrong here. I mean...I knew there was someone in this restaurant with a high out put of rhythm, but the minute you walked up to us, my heart just about leapt outta my throat."

"Ah, don't mind J, K-san," Spin said, waving his hand, "He's just nervous 'cause this is the first time he's seen your spirit. But don't worry, he'll settle down once he gets to know you better." He takes another sip of his soda before leaning back in his chair, "So, they told me you was in America, but what's with the busboy dig?"

"What else?" Kai stuffs the towel back into the pocket of his apron, "Employees get a discount on the foods they order. Plus, I need the money for living expenses. I do not plan on spending the next three months of my trip living in a hotel room."

"Well, I hate to break this to ya, but your chances of grabbing EBA's attention is about to get worse," J groans while sipping his coffee.

"I already know about the prisoner, J-Yama, who washed up into your base," Kai said, straightening up, "I also know about that dark energy possessing his spirit. I do not know what it is, but for some reason, it is the main reason he is being so emotionally violent as of late."

"So then, if somethin's taintin' his persona, then we gotta figure out what it is before he uses it to put us both out of business!" Spin yelps.

"I doubt there's much we can do at the moment except wing it," J sighs, "Since the Commander's the most generous of the other Agents, he'll treat the guy with the utmost respect until he's well enough to be tried by the Em-O-Meter. Anything we say until then would pretty much be blatant opinion, especially after you punched him."

"I swear, I didn't mean to do it!" Spin retorts, "The guy grabbed me, and all of a sudden, my mind went whack; like I had been locked in a dark room with no urbanization for decades! It felt like I no longer had control of my body when I freaked out!" he looks down at his hands as they tremble uncontrollably, "Look! My hands're still shakin' from the ordeal!"

Kai hums a bit as he studies Spin's jittering hands, "It is hard to explain what is going on within J-Yama's heart. From a distance, his spirit appears dark, emotional and desperate for help. Yet when we get close to or touch him, we get a sensation so terrorizing, our brain instinctively resorts to a fight-or-flight tactic, forcing us to become violent just to get away from him."

"So you're saying that if he continues to hang around here, one of us'll eventually kill him out of instinct?" J yelps.

"Damn! What'll we do!" Spin squeaks, "I don't wanna get kicked out of the agency over a bad feelin'!"

"Me neither," J sighs, rubbing his temples, "Maybe we should stay out a bit until the Commander runs that prisoner through the radar. I doubt even if there are flaws in the system, he'd be smart enough to figure them out."

"Perhaps," Kai mutters, "But I would not rely too much on it. If what J-Yama has is powerful enough to take out a plane, there is a grim chance it could mess up the radar and turn it against the agency. I suggest you and the other Agents keep an eye on him and make sure he does not try anything that could put you in danger."

The two agents sigh as they looked down at their drinks in frustration.

* * *

Sam wakes up after several hours, suddenly realizing he wasn't where he should be, which was supposed to be the basketball court on the other side of the quiet neighborhood.

_Wuh...where am I!_ he howls in shock. The truck passes by a sign that read "400 miles from home".

_400 MILES! _Sam yowls in realization. His fear increases over how and if he was going to make it back home. He instinctively rears his head back and howls as loud as he could.

_****__**REALP!**_

* * *

Spin and J's transmitters beep just before they had a chance to decide what to eat. Kai eyes them, while wiping the counter, as they pull out and press them to their ears. Spin frowns in shock.

"You're kidding! 400 miles!" he shouts, standing up.

"That's one heavy sleeper," J mutters.

"_400 miles is a long way_," Kahn said over the transmitter, "_But as long as one of you are willing to help him find his way home, his owner would be very happy._"

Spin throws his fist into the air, "Y'all leave it to me! Sammy'll be back home in no time!"

"_I'm not so sure, Agent Spin..._" Kahn mutters, "_You didn't seem all that enthused earlier. Are you sure you can handle this?_"

"Dude, don't be changin' your views on me because of a minor accident. I'm just fine."

There was a moment of silence before Kahn sighs.

"_Very well then..._" he said, "_Return to base and change. I will have Sam's whereabouts downloaded into the EBA bike._"

"Cool, man!" Spin said, putting the transmitter away. He then cringes in realization, "Whoops. I forgot I just placed my order."

"Don't worry about it, Spin," J said, "I'm not going anywhere. I'll keep an eye on your food while you're gone."

"Thanks, J!" Spin says as he turns and heads out of the restaurant. Kai watches until he disappears from sight, then goes back to wiping the counter.

* * *

Sam laid flat on his stomach, whining in agony over the thought of losing his friend and his way home. Suddenly, he hears a roar from the distance behind the truck and looks up to see a motorbike with two sidecars zoom towards him.

As it neared, the driver hits a lever near the gas peddle, causing the front wheel to bounce up; the boosters of the engine sending it flying through the air. The driver of the truck yelps and hits the brakes just before the motorbike lands in front of him. Sam takes the opportunity to leap off and run back to the sign he stared at earlier.

_I gotta get home..._ he whined.

"Yo! You look like you can use some encouragement!" shouts a voice from behind. Sam turns to see Spin standing behind him with his hands in his pocket; Morris and Derek standing on either side of him.

The rookie Agent reaches into his pocket and pulls out his BA-5 license, "Don't worry, dawg! We gotcha covered!"

Sam barks with enthusiasm as he turns around and starts running down the road, believing it would help get him back home.

_Nobody gonna take my car;_

_I'm gonna race it to the ground._

_Nobody gonna beat my car;_

_I'm gonna break the speed of sound._

_Oooh, it's a killer machine!_

_It's got everything -_

_Like a driving power,_

_Big fat tires, and everything!_

Sam pants as he continues down the road. His small body made it hard for him to keep up with his routine without wearing himself down. Exhausted, his mind starts to wander, thinking of Ted and all the good times he had spending with his human companion. Sam then thinks about how he's handling the sudden separation; whether he would be spending the whole day looking for him or goes home brokenhearted and worried over his disappearance.

Focusing on that thought, the miniature pug frowns in determination takes up a ready-to-sprint position and dashes off at speeds so fast, the scenery around him seemed like a blur.

_I love it, I need it, I bleed it!_

_Yeah, it's a wild hurricane!_

_All right, hold tight,_

_I'm a highway star._

The road suddenly becomes overrun with cars, forcing Sam to scamper onto the dirt near the guardrails. Believing this to be an opportunity to at least get back into town, he scribbles "My howze" on a piece of cardboard he found lying beside him and holds it up while throwing his thumb out to flag down drivers.

A couple of minutes later, a red car pulls up the curb.

"Cute dog!" squeals some voices from inside. Sam looks up to see two blonde haired girls sitting in the front seat. One of them blows a kiss towards him.

"Wanna ride?" she asked.

Sam springs up, lovingly wagging his tail at the sight of the girls, as well as relieved that he got someone to give him a helping hand. He leaps into the car as it drives off down the road a couple of hours before reaching the city. Sam leaps out of the car when it reached a stoplight, about to continue when he felt his stomach growling.

_H.U.N.G.E.R._ he whines, legs shaking from the lack of food.

_Nobody gonna take my head;_

_I got speed inside my brain._

_Nobody gonna steal my head;_

_Now that I'm on the road again._

_Oooh, I'm in heaven again..._

_I got everything -_

_Like a moving ground,_

_An open road, and everything!_

After wandering the streets for several minutes, Sam comes across a skateboard lying in a pile of garbage. Thinking it'll help him get home he hops on the skateboard and runs it down the sidewalk. Because of his hunger, however, his chances of getting through the city without the aroma of meat taunting his nose were slim to none. He practically drooled while daydreaming about the food he would be fed during dinner back at home.

Hyped up on the thought, Sam plants all but his right leg, which was used to push himself along, on the skateboard and careens down the street, nearly plowing through everything that got in his way.

_I love it, I need it, I seed it!_

_Eight cylinders, all mine!_

_All right, hold tight,_

_I'm a highway star._

Sam hears a scream just as he was passing by a woman pushing a stroller. Looking up, he witnessed her child grab an expensive-looking dish and fling it across the street like a Frisbee.

"MY 10,000 CHINA!" she shrieked. Sam panics and pushes the skateboard forward, using it as a catapult to leap off and grab the dish just as it was about to land on the rubber scarred asphalt.

The woman squeals with delight and relief as the miniature pug rushes the dish back over to her, "Thank you, doggie!" she says, reaching into her shopping bag and pulling out large, juicy steak.

Sam barks in delight over the size of the steak. After gobbling down his reward, the miniature pug continues through the city, eventually coming to a lake somewhere in the Manhattan Park. He couldn't find anything along the other side, almost thinking he took a wrong turn. But as he was turning around to look for another route, he comes across a sign stabbed into the embankment that read "NO FISHING! 10 MILES TO HOME!"

Whining in frustration, Sam decides to take his chances and leaps into the lake, using all four of his paws to paddle as far as he could.

_Nobody gonna take my car;_

_I'm gonna race it to the ground._

_Nobody gonna beat my car;_

_I'm gonna break the speed of sound._

The majority of the time he spent paddling through the water was constantly getting interrupted by the swans and ducks occupying the lake. Gritting his teeth, Sam starts barking and paddling, the splashes scaring the feathery animals away from him and allowing him to continue onward, uninterrupted.

_Oooh, it's a killer machine!_

_It's got everything -_

_Like a driving power,_

_Big fat tires, and everything!_

Sam finally reaches the other side of the lake. As he props himself on the embankment to catch his breath, he notices a bone-chilling predicament happening on the cliff before him. Three dogs corner a poodle, bearing their teeth menacingly.

_No poodles allowed!_ one of them growled.

_Stay back!_ the poodle whined, backing away more. Sam bares his teeth in anger.

_Damsel in distress!_ he thinks to himself. He then leaps onto the cliff, diving towards the three dogs threatening the poodle, _GET YOUR PAWS OFF HER!_

The dogs stare at him, startled, as he lands several punches to their jaws. Freaked by his actions, they ran off with their tails between their legs while yipping in fright. The poodle sighs as she walks over to Sam and kisses him on the cheek.

_You're so brave..._ she swoons. Sam howls at the compliment and kiss.

_I love it, I need it, I bleed it!_

_Yeah, it's a wild hurricane!_

_All right, hold tight,_

_I'm a highway star._

_I'm a highway star._

_I'm a highway star._

Sam continues his trek home. After what seemed like an entire day went by, he finally makes it back to a familiar sight; a row of peaceful-looking houses with lawns and a garage.

_Almost there!_ he howls as he continues to where Ted's house is located. He then perks up, seeing a blue house with white borders on the corners and roof, and a garage beside it, _At last!_

He dashes to the front door and begins scratching it. Ted throws it open, his face shocked before turning into surprise.

"Sam!" he cries, "You came home!" Sam barks as he leaps into Ted's arms and began licking his face, "Don't ever do that again, OK!"

Spin, Morris and Derek watch from the curb as the Ted closes the door, laughing happily at the reunion.

"Now that's the kind of happy ending I'd like to see," Spin laughs as he revs up the motor and drives off down the street.

"Yeah," Morris said, "That's what we're all about, man. Pulling off our moves to make people happy." His mood then darkens, "Though I'm not to sure the routine would last forever."

"Why's that?"

"Well...we would've filled you in sooner," Derek muttered, both in annoyance and worry, "But we figured it'd be best to let it out after the mission. You see..."

* * *

"SAY WHAT!" J exclaims after Spin returned to the restaurant a couple of hours later. The rookie flops down in his seat, picking up a fork and playing with one of the meatballs on his pasta.

"I couldn't figure it out myself," he grumbles, "The Commander searched criminal records both here and in Japan and couldn't find anything on the dude, not even a profile of how he wound up in prison to begin with. So he runs him through the Em-O-Meter to check his personality, and it claims that everything the guy said is true."

"Seriously! And all he did was just stand there and watch? That doesn't make sense!"

"I know," Spin rubs his forehead in frustration, "I mean, we all understand that computerized lie detectors don't always give out a perfect result when tested on someone who knows how to slip through loopholes. But this guy didn't even LOOK like he was trying and he still managed to fool the Em-O-Meter into believin' everything he said." He then rubs his chin in thought, "Though, Morris and Derek did claim they saw him glowing when the Commander ran that radar on him."

"Glowing?"

"Yeah." Spin waves his hands up and down simultaneously as if he was playing charades, "Kinda purplish or somethin'." He then shrugs, "It only lasted a few seconds, but it seemed too unorthodox to be a coincidence." He sighs and rests his cheek on his fist while plopping the elbow attached to it on the table, "Unfortunately, the Commander had his back turned, and when Morris and Derek tried to explain what went on, that prisoner called them liars, almost getting them suspended."

J heaves an annoyed sigh as he leans back in his chair, "So now what? As long as he's got wool over EBA's eyes, the chances of us staying in business are practically sinking in quicksand. Not to mention the thought of one of us turning Mr. Hyde if he continues to hang around here."

"So? Maybe we can just avoid Central for a while," Spin shrugs, "Only visit for mission briefings and reports."

"I do not recommend it," said a voice. Spin and J looked to the kitchen door to see Kai walk out of it.

"But you said..."

"J-Yama has already considered you two a threat to his plans," Kai interrupts, walking towards them, "Since the technology is pretty much useless at this point, he could use your lessened visits as red herrings to fool your Commander into doing more than revoke your licenses. As hard as it is for me to do this, I suggest you do not make a big deal out of it."

"He may be right, Spin," J groans, crossing his arms, "After all, we still have the other Agents who trust our sense of judgment. If we try to neglect them when they need our word on the guy, it could only leave them vulnerable to be lied to, and eventually forced to believe him, which could put the Ouendan in even more danger should they somehow find their way into Central."

"Not to mention it will also increase your risk of being removed from the EBA," Kai said, "In order to keep your license and their belief in your spiritual awareness, you must do what is necessary to maintain your status and keep everyone up to date on what J-Yama is trying to do. And, if possible, try to contain your fears should he come within your sights."

"That suggestion is easier said then done," Spin sighs, leaning back, "After all, when I mentioned you helped me get into the agency, the dude started spouting crap about me bein' traumatized, tryin' to convince the Commander to deepen his views beyond thinkin' you were too whacked in the head to properly cheer for the world. I'm worried he'll keep touchin' me 'til I lose my mind and slaughter him."

"What if it's one of his ways of getting rid of us?" J asked, "Knowing how much we trust the Ouendan and that the other Agents would back us up if our opinions don't change EBA's views, he's afraid the Commander will come to realize he's not someone to take likely and have him sent back to prison. By continually pestering us with his presence alone, while faking that he's trying to help 'rehabilitate' us, he could gather enough false evidence to prove to the Commander just how unreliable we are and convince him to throw us out."

Spin groans and rubs his head, "My head hurts just tryin' to keep up with this sudden turn of events. I just want the whole thing to be over and done with so life can flow like normal."

"No one ever said being an Agent is all about dancing and cheering people up. We also have to keep our own wits about so that we can continue giving people a reason to keep living. We're just going to have to wade through this scenario until we find something that'll bring us to a happy future."

Spin sighs as he looks down at his food in frustration over what the future has in store for him and everyone else.


	15. Episode 15: Lessons in Fitting In

Episode 15: Lessons in Fitting In

Early one afternoon, at a train station on the outskirts of Brooklyn, many people crowd around the docking area, waiting for the express to show up. Among them is an elderly couple, the male bearing slightly raggy, gray hair and a mustache, wearing a white, wool V-collar vest over a blue shirt, milky-white slacks, and black shoes, while the female is a foot shorter than him, her white hair, done in a high, ball-shaped ponytail, wearing a gray turtleneck, tight Mom's Jeans, and white tennis shoes.

After a couple of hours, the express finally shows up, stopping near the crowd. The elderly couple's faces light up upon seeing Jago and Aimay appear from one of the windows in the couch.

"**Look!**" Jago shouts, pointing out the window, "**There's Jiji and Sobo!**"

The express comes to a stop as the doors open to allow passengers to exit. It took a couple of minutes before Jago and Aimay appeared, rushing to their grandparents and jumping into their arms.

"**Oh, my! You two have grown since we last saw you!**" the grandmother grunts as she catches Aimay.

"**I'll say!**" the grandfather laughs, hugging Jago, "**You nearly put my back out with that jump!**"

The two put the young Tanakas down as the grandmother crosses her arms while smiling.

"**Where is your brother?**" she asked, "**You didn't run off and leave him behind, did you?**"

"**Over here!**" calls a voice. The four turn to see Hajime shouldering three backpacks; the two on his left, looking like typical school backpacks, belong to Jago and Aimay while the one on his right, a large travel pack with a rolled up sleeping mat tied to the top, belonged to him. The grandparents beamed as he walks over to them.

"**Hajime!**" the grandfather said as he hugs his eldest grandson, "**Oh, look at you! I still can't believe you're a member of the Ouendan!**"

"**My grandson's finally found something that can help make the world a better place to live,**" the grandmother said, as Hajime turns to give her a hug.

"**Hey, come on! You're embarrassing me!**" Hajime chuckles, backing away from the two.

"**So where are they?**" the grandfather asked, looking around, "**You said they were traveling here with you.**"

As if on cue, the rest of the Ouendan step off the train, Ryuta arriving first with Saito and Suzuki following close behind him, all three carrying backpacks identical to the one hanging off Hajime's right shoulder. The grandfather smiles as he walks over to them.

"**A pleasure to finally meet you,**" he says, reaching his hand out in offering.

"Likewise," the three Ouendan said, Ryuta shaking the offered hand while Saito and Suzuki bow to the grandfather in respect. The grandmother smiles warmly.

"**Well, how about we head on home and unpack? I'm sure you're all tired from the long journey.**"

"**Hey, Sobo!**" Jago pipes up, looking around, "**Did Mommy and Daddy stop by here by any chance?**" The grandparents looked at each other before looking back to Jago in slight confusion.

"**Why...we weren't aware that they were here to begin with...**" the grandmother said, "**They didn't even call to let us know what's going on.**"

Hajime sighs in annoyance as he takes his hat off and scratches his head, "**Those two're probably so hyped up about coming here, they forgot to make proper arrangements.**"

"**Well, I'm sure when you see them, we'll all be able to straighten this out,**" the grandfather said, "**But for now, let's focus on getting you guys settled in.**"

* * *

After unpacking the necessities in the guestrooms provided within the three room apartment deep in Brooklyn, the small group sat at the table of a small kitchen, talking about what had been going on in the past two years since Hajime first joined the Ouendan.

"**Wow,**" the grandmother whistles in astonishment, "**So it seems school wasn't the only thing you've been busy with.**"

"**He's just like my son,**" the grandfather chuckles, "**No matter how many jobs he has, he always finds a way of fitting them into his schedule and still have time to spend with his family and friends.**"

"**Koneko-chan hungry!**" Aimay whines, rubbing her stomach.

"**Me too!**" Jago complains, "**Let's have some of that special curry you make, Sobo!**"

"**Oh my...**" the grandmother mutters, pressing her finger on her cheek, "**To feed you all, I'm going to need a bigger pot.**"

"**I have a better idea,**" the grandfather said, "**How would you all like to sample a taste of Italian cuisine, Brooklyn-style?**"

"**Whoa! Really!**" Jago gasps.

"**Sure, why not?**" the grandmother said, "**A welcoming party for our grandchildren and their friends.**"

"YOSHI!" the others cheer in excitement while throwing their fists into the air.

* * *

Amanda stands before a grand audience, wearing a black, strapless top under a glittering scarf, and a skirt of the same design, listening to the music filling the large coliseum as she finishes her number with her best, dazzling performance. The crowd roars with excitement over her spectacular show once the song ended. Amanda laughs as she and the men who performed along side her take a long, graceful bow.

"Thank you!" she shouts, "Thank you!"

"Daydreaming again!" shouts a voice. Amanda blinks, finding herself back in the restaurant with the kettle pouring more tea into a customer's cup than it could hold.

A short, portly, old man with a chef's hat and apron throws an aggravated finger at her, "Dancer-smancer!" he gets into Amanda's face, his own darkening in aggravation, "Once more AND YOU'RE FIRED!"

"I...I'm sorry, Papa!" Amanda stutters, "I won't do it again, I swear!" the chef continues to glare at her before turning around and marching back into the kitchen. Amanda sighs in frustration as she goes over to the counter and picks up two trays of food before hearing the doors open. Looking to the entrance, she sees the Tanakas and Ouendan walk in, looking around at the mildly crowded restaurant.

"**Wow!**" Jago gasps in astonishment, "**It's so huge! So where do we sit?**"

"Mr. and Mrs. Tanaka!" Amanda calls out, running over to the small group, "Ya'll haven't come down here in a while! How's it goin'?"

"Just fine," the grandmother giggles before presenting her hand to the group behind her, "Oh yeah. I would like to introduce you to some new arrivals. These are my grandchildren: Hajime, Jago, Aimay; and their friends."

Amanda looks the Ouendan over before cringing slightly, "Are...are they part of a gang or somethin'?"

"Gang?" the grandfather asked.

"Well...they're wearin' the same outfit as Mr. Doumeki...except it's not as torn up as his is..."

"Doumeki-san work here!" Jago pipes up.

"Uh...yeah..."

"Ha! Look's like Kai's not doing so well on his own if he has to get a job just to make a living," Ryuta laughs. Amanda's nervousness increases.

"Can...can he really do that? Talk about Mr. Doumeki like he was friendly?" she mutters. Hajime furrows his eyebrows, about to answer when...

"Hey, are you gonna hold up the food all day!" shouts a voice, "Do your stupid reunion after you pass out the food before it gets cold!" the other customers began ranting and raving at Amanda as she looks at them in hysterics.

"Ack! I'm sorry!" she stammers as she makes a dash towards the heated customers. She barely covers two feet before she collides with someone, the impact causing her to throw the food into the air in surprise.

"Oh my god! The food!" one of the customers screamed.

"I don't wanna spend another five minutes waiting for my order to arrive! I have a show to attend to!" shouts another.

The Ouendan panic as they saw the food fall towards Amanda who yelps in shock and drops to a fetal position. They rushed into the restaurant, grabbing two plates at a time while using their spiritual senses to home in and slap down where the food belonged to.

After a minute, the foods were passed around with little to no mess made. The four Ouendan threw their backs against one another, slumping to the floor while heaving a sigh of relief. A second after catching their breaths, they hear the entire restaurant clapping and cheering for their fast actions and quick thinking. The four laugh nervously as they got up to bowed to the small audience, Hajime removing his hat and swinging across his shoulders.

"Happy to be of service," they said in unison. Amanda watches in astonishment before a roaring voice nearly sends her through the ceiling in fright.

"Three seconds and you already lose your focus!" Amanda turns around, realizing she had bumped into Kai while trying to get back to work. The large Ouendan throws a gloved finger at her in aggravation, "That is the worse record you could possibly break! It is a miracle Oji-san has not seen you turn around and mess up your duties just after he lectured you!"

"You don't have to crack down on her like that," the grandmother said, laughing nervously, "It was out fault for distracting her from her job. She shouldn't be held responsible for her mistakes." Kai eyes the two.

"Even so," he said, "She should be focusing on achieving her goal rather than let it distract her from her duties. She must not rely on the customers to back her up everytime she has an accident that docks her monthly salary."

"Wow! Waiter with discipline! They make good decision hiring you, Doumeki-san!" Jago pipes up. Kai blinks and stares at him and Aimay, his jaw dropping in bewilderment.

"Wha...! Jago! Aimay!" he yelps, "Then...the people who caught the food...!"

"Look's like they needed someone that can do more than pass out food," snickers a voice. Kai slowly turns to the source to find Ryuta, Hajime, Saito, and Suzuki standing behind him with taunting smirks on their faces.

"You!" Kai shouts, throwing his finger at each of them, "But how!"

"**Can't get rid of us that easily, can you, Chef Doumeki?**" Suzuki joked. At this, the four Ouendan puff their cheeks before bursting out with laughter; Hajime and Saito bending over while Ryuta and Suzuki rested their elbows on their buddies' backs while grabbing their chests.

Amanda shakes in fright, looking over to Kai, who's throttling in anger over the whole scenario.

"This' nuts!" she yelps as she scrambles away from the scene. Kai continues to shake in anger as the Ounedan continue laughing at him, Saito now slapping one hand on his knee while Suzuki pounds his back while resting his head on it.

_Make me look stupid, will they?_ he grumbles to himself, _Well, he who laughs last!_ He turns around and storms off into the kitchen.

* * *

The restaurant chef hums as he tosses a flattened lump of dough into the air, watching as it expands a bit before catching it. Kai throws the door open, catching his attention as he looks over.

"Ah, Mr. Doumeki," he said, "How is Amanda doing. I hope she hasn't given the customers any trouble."

"None at all," Kai said, a grin appearing on his face, "Say, Oji-san. How would like some extra help? I have some friends outside who would love to give you a hand with keeping people satisfied."

"Really?" the chef asked, tossing the dough into the air again, "Well, bring them in and I'll be happy to hire them."

"That will not be necessary, Oji-san," Kai said, "I know the perfect duties for each of them..."

* * *

"**I can't believe you four,**" the grandmother huffs as they sat at one of the tables in the restaurant, "**Doumeki-san is working very hard to make a living here. You shouldn't be making fun of him like that.**"

"**Relax, Sobo,**" Hajime said, hanging his hat on the backrest of the chair he sat in, "**Kai knows we didn't mean to that little laugh-fest earlier. It's not like we didn't do this stuff before being called to a cheer.**"

"**Still, what you did was very rude. I want you all to apologize to Doumeki-san when he comes back here.**"

"**That won't be necessary, Obaa-san,**" Kai said as he walks over to the table with a tray bearing four, dome covered plates, "**If you don't mind, I've made a special surprise for you all.**"

"**Doumeki-san, you really shouldn't...**" the grandfather said.

"**No, I insist,**" Kai places the plates in front of Hajime, Ryuta, Saito and Suzuki.

"**Where's our surprise?**" Jago asked.

"**Sorry, Jago,**" Kai said, "**This surprise would be too much for you and your sister.**"

The four Ouendan stare at Kai, then the plates in front of them before removing the dome covers. Beneath are chest-high aprons; Hajime and Ryuta's had a notepad next to theirs.

"**W...what is this!**" Ryuta yelps, picking up the apron and notepad.

"**It's so nice that you're enjoying the food here,**" Kai said before thrusting his finger at his smaller, light-weighted companions, "**Because starting today, the four of you will be working for your meals!**"

"SAY WHAT!" the four Ouendan shriek.

"**How thoughtful, Doumeki-san,**" the grandmother said, "**You're helping my grandson and his friends expand their work experience.**"

"**W-w-w-wait a minute Sobo!**" Hajime stutters.

"**Not to mention it would reduce the amount we have to pay for the meal,**" the grandfather chuckles, "**Since employees get a discount on the food served here.**"

"**Wh-what just happened, Ippongi-sama!**" Suzuki squeaks. The other three stare at Ryuta as he groans and closed his eyes, shedding fountains of agonizing tears.

"**I think he just teamed up with common courtesy and stabbed us in the back...**" he sobbed. Saito places a sympathetic hand on his shoulder as he drops his head in more agony.

"**If you guys are done talking, there're people who need to be fed and tables to be cleaned!**" Kai orders, pointing to the crowd behind them, "**GET TO WORK!**"

* * *

Meanwhile, in the EBA command room...

"You're letting him become an Agent!" Starr exclaims. Spin and Morris stood beside her, frowning in frustration, "You've only known him for two days!"

"Suspicious as he is," Kahn said, resting his chin on his folded hands, "The personality tests prove just how reliable he can be to our cause. After all, he tried to run for mayor to bring happiness to the people of Japan and the authorities arrested him for no reason."

"How do you even know that's true?" Spin asked, "For all we know, the dude wanted to run for mayor just so he can use the money for somethin' other than make people feel better about their homeland!"

"How sad that a traumatized boy like you would say such a thing," J-Yama said as he walks into the room, wearing the black suit of an Agent. Spin frowns as he walks over to the Commander, "If you had been here sooner, you would have seen for yourself just how truthful I am."

"Can I add the whole glowing body thing to that sentence?" Morris mutters. J-Yama eyes him sternly.

"You must be traumatized like the young Agent! Whatever happened during evaluation is pure belief, not whatever ran through your head when you were doped up on crack." Morris frowns in anger, wanting to punch J-Yama for the remark.

"Look, all we're saying is," Starr said, addressing Kahn, "You should investigate on this more before deciding what's best for us."

"Yeah, man," Spin said, "I mean, what'll happen if this guy tries to stab you in the back when you need him the most?"

"Humph! You are all traumatized by Ouendan!" J-Yama snorts, turning to the three, "You do not like me simply because Ouendan forced you think badly about me! But I will make sure you see them for what they really are!"

"Look, I admit what they did three months ago was scary," Starr said, glaring at J-Yama, "But after giving it some thought, I began to understand just how helpful they're really trying to be!"

J-Yama frowns before he studies Starr over, then turns to the Commander, "Ugh! You call this Diva attire! What you make those girls wear! It will not help the guys feel better about themselves!"

Starr's right eyebrow twitches, "Excuse me?"

J-Yama reaches into his coat, "I have the perfect outfit for you and the other girls. I am sure you will like it!" he pulls out a hanger containing a red bikini and a brown cowboy hat, holding it in front of Starr while imagining how it would fit her, "Ah, this is much better than what you have on now." Starr shook in anger, "Men need something with a little more exposure in the legs and body."

"Are you trying to make hookers out of my division!" Starr screamed, about to tackle J-Yama when Spin and Morris grabbed and pulled her arms back.

"Yo! Cool the heat, girl!" Morris yelps.

"We know your name's Starr," Spin retorts, "But you don't have to be burnin' like one!"

Starr yells in frustration, throwing her arms into the air and knocking the two Agents to the floor, as she turns and storms out of the room.

"See!" J-Yama exclaims, pointing to the doors as they slid shut, "This is exactly why Ouendan are bad news! They must be stopped before they turn the entire agency against you!"

"I already told you, the Ouendan have nothing to do with us, nor are they responsible for 'traumatizing' my Agents," Kahn said, "And as long as I still maintain the records relating to their so-called goal, they will not come anywhere near you or the people of whom we are responsible for brightening up with our performance."

Morris and Spin cringe as they turn and head out of the command room.

* * *

Late that night, in the small apartment in Brooklyn, the small group had set up their sleeping mats and were tucking themselves in for the night. Jago and Aimay slept at the far end of the empty guestroom while Hajime flops down on his mat, sighing in annoyance.

"Ugh, I can't believe he forced us to work here," he groaned, spreading his arms out after throwing the blanket up to his chest, "Isn't a vacation supposed to be about relaxing!"

"**I doubt there's much to vacate on at the moment,**" Suzuki said, "**After all, the main reason for this international trip is to try and establish our trust with EBA. If anything, we should try and be as blind to the public as possible.**"

"Especially with J-Yama making our reputation worse than it already is," Ryuta mutters, laying in his sleeping mat on the other side of Hajime with his hands behind his head. His bandana laid beside him along with the ribbon that held up his topknot.

"**I still can't believe how easily he's slipped past the emotional radar EBA depended on so much,**" Suzuki growls, "**And he knows nothing of the technology that runs it.**"

"According to Kai, J-Yama has something that's not only making our senses go haywire with fear, but is also messing up with EBA's machines, causing them to come up with a different conclusion."

"What do you suppose that thing is?" Hajime asked.

"I don't know," Ryuta said, "But unless Spin and the other Agents manage to figure out what it is, the only thing we can conclude is that J-Yama wants to use it to throw us both out of business so he'll have no competition to stop him from getting what he wants."

"**I'm worried about Spin-dono and that other Agent who trusts our techniques,**" Suzuki said, "**Because of their inexperience with our sixth sense, they have yet to control their emotions when J-Yama is within their presence. They're afraid they might kill him out of fear if they spend anymore time with him.**"

"You're right..." Ryuta mutters, "And Kai doesn't want them to try and escape the dark presence, knowing they'll only increase the risk of being kicked out for whatever lies J-Yama manages to get past their Commander's naïve head."

"So what'll we do?" Hajime asked, "Spin and Jonouchi's patience are running thin and the other Agents are getting annoyed with J-Yama strutting around the base like he owns them."

"Nothing for now. Interfering when we know nothing about this phenomenon would not only anger their Commander, but also put your family in danger. We may have to find some other alternative to getting rid of J-Yama that won't give us anymore trouble than what's thrown at us."

Hajime and Suzuki look at each other before sighing and staring at the ceiling in worry.

* * *

Amanda sighs as she wanders the streets towards the apartment where the Tanaka residence live, "Oh...Maybe I should just go home..."

She then hears her cell phone ring and picks it up to answer, "Hello?" her worry vanishes upon hearing a familiar voice, "Tex!"

From another line, a red-headed man in a cowboy outfit speaks into the phone, "Amanda, honey! You ain't never gonna be no dancer! C'mon home now."

"HELLO!" Amanda seethed in aggravation, "I've been bustin' my gut for two years to make it out here!"

"More like three darn years!" Tex exclaims in the same manner, "Face it! You ain't got what it takes!"

Amanda marches up the stairs to her apartment number, "I'll show everyone! I'll be the best dancer in town!" she immediately stops upon seeing posts on her door demanding her rent money and threatening to evict her if it's not turned in soon.

"Amanda, y' still there?" Tex calls from the cell phone of poor, unfortunate Amanda, who's shaking in devastation over, not only being fired from her job, but also being forced to come back home to the place she had been trying to escape from. Finally fed up with the string of bad luck barricading her from her goal, she screams at the top of her lungs while crushing her cell phone in blind anger.

_**HEEEEAAAALLLLP!**_

* * *

"Shoot, I almost thought she would've managed without our help," Morris sighs in disappointment after he, Derek and Chieftain were woken up early the next morning. Chieftain, as usual, had a black cup full of Joe in his hand, drinking it while listening into the briefing.

"Amazing how her stress seems to jump from one level to another," Derek said, "Almost like there was someone trying to keep her inline half the day."

"Yes, it surprised me too," Kahn mutters while staring at Amanda's screaming mug, "Up until the eviction notice, she seemed to be doing almost well amidst the times where she unintentionally spaces out."

"Something bugs me about how she's been managing up to this point," Chieftain said, "Every morning and evening, she's always stressing about how things will turn out in the future. Yet whenever she goes off to work at that Italian restaurant, her stress seems to diminish a great deal and she looks as though she can work through the day without getting hammered by her boss."

"I believe it's just coincidence," Kahn said, "But if you feel that there is more to this mission than just that, perhaps you should observe whoever's cheering her up. He could be of great help to us once we get a better look at him."

"Yes, sir," Chieftain nods as he turns and heads out of the command room.

* * *

Early the next morning, the four Ouendan walked out of the apartment, Hajime shouldering Jago's backpack as his grandmother had packed a few bentou boxes for lunch. They stop upon hearing mumbling and turned to find Amanda sitting against the wall with her elbows on her knees and her head between her arms.

"Has she been sleeping there all night?" Hajime asked. Saito walks over to Amanda and pokes her a couple of times before she finally lifts her head, eyes baggy and her dreadlocks all over the place from fatigue and restlessness. She looks over to her left to find the four Ouendan almost towering over her.

"Eek!" she screamed, stumbling back a few feet, "What're you doin' in my room!"

"Your room?" Ryuta mutters, "Lady, you've been sleeping out here since last night." It took Amanda a couple of seconds before she jumps up and screams in frustration.

"That's right! I got evicted last night because I couldn't pay my rent!" she cries, grabbing Saito by the shoulders and shaking him, "And now I'm a total wreck! I'll be fired for sure!" she drops her head on Saito's chest and cries while he just pats her on the back in sympathy.

End Notes:

1. I forgot to point this out in earlier chapters, but Jiji and Sobo are one of a few Japanese words for "grandfather" and "grandmother".

2. "Yoshi" means "All right" in Japanese. The "i" is pretty much silent in this romaji.

, I know the opening to Amanda's story took place during the day. I just changed it around to try and fit it into the current chapter.

4. To those lacking in Japanese culture, a bentou is a small lunch box with dividers containing different kinds of food (mostly rice). Bentous can either be bought in a store, or made by family or friends.


	16. Episode 16: Day of Observation

Episode 16: Day of Observation

"What'm I gonna do!?" Amanda groans as she heads for the doors of the restaurant, "At this rate, I'll be out on the streets, beggin' people for change!"

"You can always stay at my grandparents," Hajime said, "I'm sure they won't mind having another guest stay with them until-"

"NO!" Amanda yelps, grabbing Hajime's shoulders and nearly shaking him, "I've already burdened you guys enough! I don't want to make it any worse than it is!"

"Amanda-san no dancer if she continue whine," Suzuki mutters annoyingly. Amanda screams in agony before dropping her head onto Hajime's shoulders and sobbing. The other Ouendan glare at Suzuki in annoyance.

"Great goin', Suzuki," Hajime grumbles.

"I think you should just stick to using your hands too encourage people from now on," Ryuta grumbles while the blond Mohawk Ouendan puckers his lips and presses the tip of his index fingers together in embarrassment.

Just then, the group heard Cher's "Believe" play in their ears. The Ouendan instinctively look to the sky to find the EBA blimp flying overhead as three blurs leap out of the gondola's windows. Amanda turns to see Morris, Chieftain and Derek land behind her; Chieftain pulling out his BA-1 license and badge.

"Sorry for the late arrival," Chieftain said, "Nevertheless, you should get on with your work while we back you up."

Amanda compresses her lips before nodding and heading inside. Chieftain then stares at the Ouendan, his frown increasing upon seeing Hajime among the group.

"You again..." he growls. Ryuta frowns as he looks to the others.

"Come on. We have work to do," he said, walking inside with the rest following suit. Chieftain continues to stare at them as he, Morris and Derek prepare for their first performance.

_No matter how hard I try  
You keep pushing me aside  
And I can't break through  
There's no talking to you_

Amanda goes about her business like usual; taking orders and passing food to the people who asked for them. The flowing energy of the song played by the Agents eventually invigorates her into gracefully dancing towards people's tables and slapping down food without even spilling a drop marinara sauce from ones pasta, or flinging a drop of water out of another's cup.

Kai walks out of the kitchen a second later, noticing how well Amanda was handling her job while dancing her way around the restaurant. He frowns as he looks out the window, catching sight of Chieftain and his backups dancing and singing to the song he had been hearing since Amanda's arrival.

_So sad that you're leaving  
Takes time to believe it  
But after all is said and done  
You're going to be the lonely one, Ohh Oh_

"Amanda!" the chef call, placing ten different toppings of pizza out along the counter, "Get all ten while their still hot!"

"Leave it to me!" Amanda shouts as she scoops up the entire stack. The Ouendan stop what they were doing and watched as she skips out of the kitchen, balancing three stacks of pizzas on both her hands and a foot, "Here I go!"

She glides along the maze of tables, swinging the pizzas out to each person who ordered them, catching them by surprise as they land safely in front of them.

"Thank you!" they all cheer while applauding the once clumsy waitress.

"Wow, she's good," Hajime whistles in astonishment. Kai, meanwhile, pays little attention to the show and continues to stare at Chieftain, who gives him the same look, but with more suspicion than interest.

Later that day, Amanda wanders down the streets on break, coming across a building giving free music lessons. She thinks for a moment before gleaming in determination.

"I need to be able to sing better!" she declares, marching into the building.

_Do you believe in life after love  
I can feel something inside me say  
I really don't think you're strong enough,  
No  
Do you believe in life after love  
I can feel something inside me say  
I really don't think you're strong enough,  
No_

Amanda starts off shaky, worrying about the pitch of her voice. She starts out soft while making her teacher feel nervous about where she's going with her practicing. She stops for a moment and takes a deep breath, trying to recollect the music she listened to in the past.

Smiling warmly, she began dancing around the room, singing with so much beauty, anyone who heard her couldn't help but stick around and listen.

_What am I supposed to do  
Sit around and wait for you  
And I can't do that  
There's no turning back_

Amanda returns to the restaurant later that day, finding it empty of everyone.

"Amanda, honey," calls a voice. Amanda looks over to the chef's wife who's sitting at a table at the other end of the room, "Papa told me he heard you singin' just a few hours ago. I was wonderin', since it's my birthday, if you could give me a little solo performance. If that's alright with you, that is?"

"Leave it to me!" Amanda shouts as she picks up a candle on a plate. She twirls towards the wife, singing beautifully along the way, "Falala..." she then prances over to her, "HAP-PY BIRTHDAY!!" she finishes by gracefully sliding the candle towards the wife, "TO YOU!!"

"What a delightful birthday gift, dear!" the wife squeals grasping Amanda's hands and bringing them up.

Later that afternoon, Amanda wanders into the town square, carrying a boom box along side her. The Ouendan happen to be passing by when they saw her set the box down and play around with the CD controls.

"Now then," she mutters, turning around, "I gotta bite the bullet, get out there and dance for the people!"

The Ouendan look at each other in curiosity, deciding to stick around and watch what Amanda is about to do. Kai, as usual, ignores the scenario in favor of staring at the three Agents dancing in the shadows of the square. Chieftain glares back, starting to get annoyed with the large Ouendan's constant observation.

_I need time to move on  
I need love to feel strong  
'Cause I've had time to think it through  
And maybe I'm too good for you Ohh Oh_

Amanda starts up the CD player and jumps out in the center of the square, trying to pull off her best moves. She went off to a rocky start due to nervousness of the passer-bys giving her weird looks. She then closes her eyes, focusing on the music playing before her while imagining a stadium-wide crowd cheering at her dazzling moves.

Almost instantly, her performance goes from stale to eye-popping gorgeous. The passer-bys begin to grow by the thousands, stopping to see and cheer Amanda on as she continues to dance around the square as though it were a stadium to her.

_Do you believe in life after love  
I can feel something inside me say  
I really don't think you're strong enough,  
No  
_

"Wow! Amanda-san got good," Suzuki mutters in awe. The other three nod in the same manner. Hajime then notices Kai still staring at Chieftain, and furrows his eyebrows in worry.

"What's with him?" he asked, "He hasn't stopped starring at the Agents since they first showed up."

The others looked at Kai, then Chieftain, frowning a bit in curiosity.

"Probably shouldn't make a big deal out of it," Ryuta said, "After all, since he's the only one who hasn't seen the Agents in action, it's only natural that he'd want to observe them like we did back in Las Vegas."

Chieftain stares at the Ouendan, frowning in frustration. He knew they had been spying on him ever since they first saw him. The way they were talking almost seems to think they were trying to plot something. Chieftain tries to ignore them as he continues dancing to Amanda.

_Well I know that I'll get through this  
And, I don't need you anymore  
No, I don't need you anymore_

The Ouendan hear the sound of hooves in the distance and turns to see a horse charging towards them. Just as it nears them, the rider pulls the reams back, commanding it to leap into the air.

The crowd saw the horse and stumbles back, allowing it to land safely to where Amanda stood.

"Amanda!" Tex calls out, jumping off the horse, "I'm here to see ya!"

"Tex!" Amanda squeals, gracefully gliding towards him, "I hope my dancin's gotten better!"

Tex takes her in his arms, both waltzing around before he twirls and leans her back, "Wow! You really got gooooood!" he then grabs both her hands and holds them up, "Why, I'll wait as long as it takes, darlin'!"

"Oh, Tex!" Amanda giggles happily.

After her dazzling performance, Amanda marches over to the auditions building, throwing a fist in determination, "Audition time! Here goes nothin'!"

_Do you believe in life after love  
I can feel something inside me say  
I really don't think you're strong enough,  
No  
_

Amanda changes wardrobes, and shows up in front of three judges. Their cold stares made her feel nervous as they wait for her to begin her audition. Reflecting on the performance she did in the square, she has little to no trouble pulling off her moves with grace and dexterity. The judges look on in astonishment before clapping and encouraging her to keep going.

_Do you believe in life after love  
I can feel something inside me say  
I really don't think you're strong enough,  
No  
Do you believe in life after love  
I can feel something inside me say  
I really don't think you're strong enough,  
No  
_

A couple of days later, a man walks over to the door with a label shaped like a star and the name "Amanda" written across it. He opens the door and walks in, finding her staring at the mirror.

"Amanda, you're up," he said.

"Thanks," Amanda says back. She closes her eyes, feeling her heart thump with excitement.

_This is my big chance..._ she thinks to herself, _I'm not gonna let everyone down!_

The curtains rise to a beautiful, starry night background as a familiar silhouette appears at the top of the steps.

_Well, I'm..._ Amanda sighs, staring at the cheering crowd before her, _Up here on this big stage..._

"YEEHAAAW! GOOD GOIN' GIRL!!" Tex cheers from within the crowd as his girlfriend dazzlingly performs her best moves.

* * *

"The Ouendan? Here?" Kahn mutters after hearing Chieftain's report. The tall Agent frowns as he crosses his arms.

"They've already taken up a job at the restaurant Amanda works at, which explains why she tends to feel calm whenever she works there," Chieftain said, "To raise more suspicion, they somehow managed to pinpoint where we are and what song we were using, even though our microphones were upgraded to only allow the person we're motivating to hear us."

Kahn frowns as he leans back in his chair, "What purpose would they have for being here? Surely it isn't to observe the Western Culture in person."

"There is only one reason why they would come here!" J-Yama said as he walks into the command room, "Ouendan wants to expand their territory! Japan is not enough for them to cheer to! They want to go someplace bigger!"

Chieftain frowns in annoyance before looking at Kahn, "Commander, as much as I distrust the Ouendan for interfering with us, I doubt they'd be stupid enough to try and paint their names all over town. For all we know, they could still be trying to force their alliance on us by finding something within America to help them."

Kahn sighs and places his forehead on his folded hands, "It doesn't matter what the reason is. The Ouendan are becoming a real nuisance to our duties and are disrupting the promise we made to the people of using our talents to bring peace to their stressful lives. It's about time that we put an end to their misdeeds once and for all."

"Any ideas how?"

Kahn lifts his head and sits back in his chair, "Every organization has a leader that sets rules and monitors the wellbeing of his followers and their duties. For the Ouendan, this leader has to be someone who not only carries those responsibilities, but is so much of an inspiration to his followers they would even be foolish enough to believe they can use supernatural abilities to seek a good soul in despair. Crush the leader, and his followers will finally come to realize the mistake they made and disband from his petty organization."

"I believe I know who that leader is," Chieftain said, stroking his curled beard, "During the mission, I saw four other men in the same uniform as the one that was brought in three months ago. Of the five that were working at the restaurant, one of them, a large guy wearing a tattered uniform and hat, seemed to be paying more attention to us than the scenario around him. I'll bet all my suspicion that he is the leader of their squad."

J-Yama runs over to Kahn, nearly plowing past Chieftain in the process, "Than if we grab him and defeat him, we will put Ouendan out of business for good!" he steps back and bows, "It will be my pleasure to make it happen, Commander."

"Oh really?" Chieftain growls, glaring at J-Yama, "You know, I may not care much for the Ouendan after the trouble they've caused us in the past, but I don't trust you goin' out there to get them, especially since most of us don't think you have the skills to pay the bills of talents!"

"I do not need you half-pint dimwits helping me with this mission!" J-Yama said, "I have something that will assure you total victory over the ones who are trying to crush the hopes and dreams of everyone who fights to achieve them!" he turns to face Chieftain, trying to get into his face despite being a shoulder below him, "Just you watch! I will have you change your views of me when I come back with Ouendan leader!" with that, he storms out of the room. Chieftain's frown increases as he looks at Kahn.

"Commander, are you just gonna let him walk off like that!? For all we know, he could be tryin' to tarnish our reputation by putting people in danger."

"I'll admit he seemed too eager to try and capture the Ouendan," Kahn said, "But let's not forget he is also troubled by what has happened to him in the past. By letting him deal with the Ouendan's apprehension, he should be able to overcome his fears and go about his business free of anxiety."

Chieftain frowns some more before turning and heading out of the room.

* * *

"**The Adirondack Mountains?**" Hajime asked as he and Kai walked along the city of Brooklyn. Though it was late in the afternoon, storm clouds blocked out the fiery colors of the sky darkening it to the point where night almost seemed to have arrived earlier than expected.

"**I found it on a map provided within the plane I took,**" Kai said, "**I prefer living in a forested area away from civilization. Once I have enough money and supplies, I'll be able to build a temporary dojo deep within the secluded areas of the mountains.**"

"**You're going to waste money building a dojo that's only going to get demolished when we go back to Japan?**"

"**Money means nothing to me as long as I maintain the Ouendan's goal of bringing peace and harmony to this stress-torn world. And if it involves having to live here for as long as it takes to form an alliance with the EBA, so be it. It's better than having to pay for a three month stay at a random hotel.**"

Hajime eyes Kai a minute before frowning and looks towards the horizon of the streets. Kai does the same, finding the EBA convertible come to a screeching halt near the sidewalk on the other side, followed by a sinister laugh.

"Well, is Lady Luck not generous?" J-Yama laughs as he hops out of the car, "I was preparing to comb the entire city for you and I did not even have to go a mile before running into you."

J-Yama began to advance towards the two, a dark, frightening spirit consuming the souls of Kai and Hajime's heart. While Kai wasn't bothered by the increasing darkness, he saw Hajime grit his teeth while shaking in uncontrolled fear. Frowning, he looks back at the conned Agent and points a finger at him.

"What is your business here, 'Agent'!?" he demands.

"What else?" J-Yama chortles, leering at Kai, "You..."

Kai frowns in confusion, "What about me?"

"Do not play dumb, leader! Everyone at EBA knows how observant you were when you watched them dance earlier today. Plus, your aggressive performance and tough-guy persona is an even higher conclusion of your status."

Hajime glances over to Kai whose aggravated expression increases to anger. He glares back at J-Yama, fists throttling.

"I wanna know something..." he mutters, "How're you able to, not only fool the Commander into accepting your lies, but convince him to make you an Agent? Flawed as that emo-thing is, you couldn't have been able to slip through it so fast and easy with your lack of experience."

J-Yama snorts, "You know nothing of how I became an Agent! But, since there is no chance in hell that anyone would believe you, I will let you in on a little secret. You see, Lady Luck has been feeling sorry for me ever since you stole my position as mayor and gave it to some know-nothing loon. She watches over me and does everything in her power to bring me back to the path I have been fighting for." J-Yama reaches into his pocket and roots around it, "One of the things she gave me as a show of gratitude is this!"

He pulls out the piece of the meteorite as it glows an eerie, lavender color. Upon seeing the rock, Hajime's heart began to race as his body trembles to the point of him feeling nauseated. Kai remains unnerved, but can also feel his heart racing from the unknown fear emitting from the rock.

"This piece of meteor frightens you, does it not?" J-Yama chuckles, "I was just sitting in my cell, rotting away when a flash of light caught my attention. I had thought the Angel of Death was coming along to take me away from this hellhole. Instead, something flew through the gaps between the bars and landed in my lap. There had been talk about a meteor being destroyed by the energy of the planet and it seems pieces of it have been scattered around. Lady Luck was kind enough to find one of those pieces and drop it in my lap."

He began to advance towards the two, Hajime backing up while Kai remains still, "At first, I did not know how to use it. I spent two years blowing away the hell that you left me in only to have the police throw me into a stronger cell. But afterwards, I believe I was able to control the rock. Now under my command, I was able to hop onto a helicopter to a country where I can use this power to destroy any opposition and become mayor unhindered. Unfortunately, I botched up on using the power of the meteorite and was blown to the oceans below. Lady Luck saved me again by guiding some brain-dead Agents to where I floated, and since then I have been a part of their agency, using their technology to find you half-beats and scratch you off the map for good."

"Teinousha..." Hajime snarls, "You don't even know if that thing came from the meteor. And you insist on treating it like a toy!?"

"Do not act like you know the capabilities of this rock!" J-Yama snaps, pointing the meteor piece at Hajime, "Once I get you and that tomfoolery organization off my back, I will be able to use this rock to gain control of this country's economical and political power, and force them to treat me like a king!" he finishes with a sinister laughter.

"The only thing you will do is cause a war between nations!" Kai seethed, "By throwing the Ouendan and the EBA at each others throats, you will cause so much controversy between the people who depend on us they will blame each other for our untimely demise and settle matters the violent way!"

"They will do no such thing as long as I am in control! This world is about to undergo a change so great, even God will not be able to match my powers! I shall be the world's new creator!" he rears his head back, unleashing another sinister laugh.

Hajime's right eyebrow twitches in frustration over what he was hearing. What good spirit was left in J-Yama quickly vanishes the more he held onto the meteor piece. His frown tightens, as well as his throttling fists.

"Maro BAKA!" he shouts, rushing towards J-Yama.

"Hajime! Get back here!" Kai orders. Unfortunately, Hajime was too pent up in his own anger to obey and grabs hold of the meteor piece still in J-Yama's hand.

Upon contact with the black, rough surface, the increase in fear immediately causes the rookie's body to tremble so badly, it almost seems like he's having a seizure. Hajime struggles to stay focused as he tries to pull the rock out of J-Yama's hands.

"What the...!?" the so-called Agent yelps. He tries to repossess the rock, but could barely budge Hajime's instinctively monstrous grip, "Let go, you barbarian!"

J-Yama increases his grip in greed and anger, causing both him and the rock to glow. Before Hajime could react, a bolt of lightning flew out of both objects, causing him to spazz seconds before an explosion blew him away from his captives, his hat flying off from the impact.

"Hajime!" Kai shouts as his rookie companion falls flat on his stomach a foot away from him. Hajime's entire body twitched with each spark that crawled around him; groaning as he struggles to get up. Kai tries to move towards him only to have J-Yama appear behind the fallen Ouendan, a sinister sneer appearing on his face.

"Lady Luck will never smile to a dream thrasher like you!" he laughs, "She has her hands all over me and will do everything she can to keep you from destroying me again!" he raised the meteor piece over his head, "But because it is my duty to be generous to those in need, I will be glade to share my prized possession with you!" with that, he brings the rock down on Hajime, the glow brightening as electricity flows through him like a fountain.

Kai watches in rage as Hajime jerks his head up, screaming at the top of his lungs from the excruciating pain. J-Yama's laughing becomes hysterical with each volt that passes through his victim's body until he was nearly smacked three feet across the street.

After regaining his balance, J-Yama sees Kai standing over Hajime, arm stretched out with an enraged look on his face. He snorts as he gets up, griping the rock as his glowing intensifies.

"What? Do you want one too?" he sneers. Kai continues to twitch in anger before dropping his arm and stepping towards him.

"If you came here to take me, then do it already!" he growled, "But do not harm him anymore!" J-Yama gleams as he laughs in triumph.

"How easily you surrender when one of your own cronies is beaten to a pulp," he says, "Tearing you and the spirits of the rest of you vagabonds will be easy!"

Hajime struggles to prop himself onto his elbows, barely conscious, as he sees J-Yama come up behind Kai and slam the meteor into his back, sending volts of electricity that forced him to go forward.

"_K...Kai..._" he chokes. Grunting weakly, he tries to push himself onto his feet; the overwhelming pain turning a simple procedure into a gruesome challenge. By the time he managed to get to a somewhat standing position, J-Yama had already shoved Kai into the backseat and was pulling a U-turn to drive back the way he came.

Groaning a curse word in Japanese, Hajime attempts to follow, but the second he lifts his right leg to move, his left buckles, dropping him to his side as he momentarily loses consciousness.

* * *

A jolt of coldness shoots through Ryuta's heart, almost causing him to gasp in shock as Hajime's grandfather comes into the living room with a tray of hot chocolate.

"**It'll rain soon...**" he mutters as he hears thunder from outside, "**I wonder what's taking Hajime so long?**"

"**He's probably gone shopping...**" Ryuta mutters, taking one of the mugs and sipping it, _But then again..._

They hear a yelp from the kitchen. Turning around, everyone saw Hajime's grandmother pick up a shattered, green mug as hot chocolate and marshmallows spilled out of it.

"**This is Hajime's favorite cup...**" she mutters, causing Ryuta's frown to increase, "**You don't think he...**"

"**I don't believe in omens...**" the grandfather said, "**However...I'm starting to worry about how long Hajime is staying out there. There's a terrible storm coming and I don't want him to catch a cold when he gets back...**"

Ryuta places the mug on a coaster sitting on the coffee table in front of the sofa he, Saito and Suzuki sat on, "**We should go look for him.**"

"**A...are you sure?**" the grandmother asked, "**I don't want you to go out into that storm for our sake.**"

"**Hajime's an Ouendan now,**" Ryuta said, getting up, "**So he's also our responsibility.**" Saito and Suzuki stood up as all three grabbed an umbrella and ran out the door.

* * *

Heavy rain falls as J drives the red convertible along the Brooklyn streets; his arm, resting across the backrest of the front seat, taps to the beat of BeeGee's "Stayin' Alive". A few minutes later, the lights of the car unveil a body laying on its side on the sidewalk near where he sat. As he neared, the body began to reveal Hajime lying on his left side with one arm covering most of his face.

J raised an eyebrow as he turns the steering wheel, parking it right beside the fallen Ouendan. He then pulls down the window and sticks his head out, using his arm to shield as much of his pompadour from the falling rain as he could.

"This isn't a good place to be taking a nap," he jokes, "Don't you have a home to go to?" when Hajime didn't answer, J's cocky frown tightens in confusion, "Haji...?"

J gets out of the car and bends down to Hajime. The moment he lays his hands on his shoulders, a rush of pain and coldness runs through his bloodstreams, causing his confusion to turn in shock as he pulls the rookie Ouendan up, seeing his face twitching in pain and slightly pale, "You're near dead! What happened!?"

"_K...Kai..._" Hajime slurs, struggling to get up, "_I...I gotta..._" J sighs a chuckle as he pulls Hajime's arm over his shoulders.

"Same ol' Haji..." he said, "Never knows when to take it easy in tough situations." he pulls Hajime towards the trunk of the car, "I should have something in here to help keep you warm..."

* * *

Ryuta glances around the soaked city, using both his eyes and his heart to locate Hajime and Kai's whereabouts. The pain had subsided, but the faintness of his fighting spirit made it hard for him to know where he is or if he was okay.

He suddenly stops upon noticing some cats hovering around something. He first thought they were sharing a dead mouse, but decides to get a little closer to be sure. Stooping over the feline pack, he saw they were crowding around someone's hat, lapping the rainwater that had filled up inside. He bends down for a closer inspection, noticing a gold pin resembling Ouendan emblem on the front of the hat.

"Ippongi-sama!" calls a voice through the roaring rain. Ryuta gets up and turns to see Saito and Suzuki run up to him.

"Any luck?" he asked.

"**No...**" Suzuki sighs annoyingly, "**We've searched the entire city. Neither Doumeki-sama or Tanaka-sama could be seen anywhere.**" Ryuta muffles a curse word in Japanese as he increases the grip of his umbrella handle.

"If they're not out here... They must've been..." Ryuta trails off, gritting his teeth in frustration.

"**What now?**" Suzuki asked. Ryuta bends over and picks up Hajime's hat, scaring the cats off as he shook the water out.

"Home..." he mutters, "There's little we can do out here except hope the Agents don't do anything harmful to Hajime or Kai..." Saito and Suzuki look at each other before sighing and following Ryuta back to where the apartment is located.

End Notes:

1. Yeah, sorry if the birthday scene didn't come out exactly like the game. For one thing, the cutscene ran by too fast and I barely had time to read what she said. Using YouTube as an alternative didn't help either, so I took a wild guess.

2. The part about the microphones only giving frequencies to the people the Agents dance to is something I made up, since you rarely see strangers or enemies pay any attention to them rather than the people they cheer for.

3. Teinousha means "moron" in Japanese.


	17. Episode 17: The Yin and Yang of Déja Vu

Episode 17: The Yin and Yang of Déja Vu

J drives along the dark city; the spotlights of the lampposts and the drops of rain dancing around the blurry scenery. After what seemed like half an hour, he hears faint groaning and looks up to the front view mirror to see Hajime, laying across the backseat with a brown, wool blanket partially wrapped around him from the neck down, twitching his face in severe pain; his skin slowly returning to its natural color.

"Well, look just woke up," J chuckles, "Scared me half to death when I found you pale in the face and cold to the touch."

"Wh...where're you taking me..." Hajime slurred, still barely conscious.

"If you'd stayed conscious a while longer, I would've dropped you off at home. But since you passed out, I figured it was best to just take you back to Central and let you recover there." J then grins cockily, "You know, it's funny. Everytime I run into you, you're either soaking wet or in random kinds of trouble. I don't think I remember a time where you'd show up dry as a bone and in peak condition."

Hajime growls in annoyance over J's teasing, "Sh-Shut up!" he turns onto his stomach, struggling to prop himself onto his elbows as they shook from the strain, "I'm...I'm not in the mood...to hear any of your...sh-shenanigans...!" he tries to sit up only to have his arms buckle and drop him back down on the seat.

"Whoa!" J yelps, throwing a hand up in defense, "No need to get upset on my account! I didn't mean to offend you in anyway!" Hajime pulls the blanket back over himself as he shivers from inner coldness, "You just worry about getting some rest. I'll see what I can do to keep you out of EBA's radar."

* * *

Hajime's grandparents came out of the guestroom where they had helped tuck Jago and Aimay into bed, seeing Ryuta, Saito and Suzuki toss the damp umbrellas into the bin where they originally found them.

"**Did you find him?**" The grandmother asked, walking over to them. Ryuta remains stern as he clutched Hajime's hat beside him.

"**He's staying at a friend's place for a while,**" he said, "**They found him lying in the street with a fever and are helping him get better.**"

"**A fever? But he was just fine this morning!**"

"**It must be the storm,**" the grandfather said, "**He must've been trying to get home when the storm hit and collapsed from the cold.**" The grandmother sighs and looks down.

"**Do you really think you should tell them that?**" Suzuki mutters in Ryuta's ear.

"**Other than the part about the fever,**" Ryuta mutters back, "**Most of what I said is true. It just depends on who his friends are, where he's staying...and if he'll be alright by morning.**"

* * *

J-Yama struts down the hall, beaming with anticipation over his accomplishment.

_Oh, won't the Commander be pleased with this accomplishment,_ he thinks to himself, _Once I force him to unveil the whereabouts of the rest of Ouendan, I'll be able to cancel both out and usher in a new world ruled by me._

He soon stops, seeing J heading into his quarters with a bowl of tomato soup, _What's he doing with tomato soup. He hates that stuff._ He frowns as he cautiously makes his way to J's quarters.

* * *

Hajime laid in J's bed, breathing heavily as sweat drenches the pillow he laid on. His glasses were removed, sitting on the nightstand by the bed as the lamp served as a not to bright nightlight.

J walks into the room, noticing the sweat-soaked pillowcase, and cringes, "Well...at least you're not freezing to death..." He pulls up a chair and sits down, holding the bowl towards Hajime's mouth, "Sorry it isn't much, but it's the only food I could find that's easy to swallow."

He pours a small content of the soup into Hajime's mouth, causing him to jerk his head away, cough in disgust, and turn the rest of his body to the same direction he faced. J cringes again as he scratches his chin.

"Whoops..." he chuckles nervously, "I guess I'm not the only one who hates tomato soup." He looks down at the bowl, "Maybe I should go back to the kitchen and..."

"You will do no such thing!" barks a voice. J shoots a glare towards the door, finding J-Yama walking in with his hands in his pocket, "As I have suspected. You have been siding with Ouendan ever since they first showed up. You do not care of the dangers they have caused to those they fight against."

"You're suspicious?" J seethed, "I should be feeling the same for you. You hated the Ouendan simply because they were called by a rival candidate who actually worked hard to prove his loyalty to the people, while all you did was drive around and turn their hairs into afros."

"How can you talk to me like I was a bad guy! You and I have the same goal of making people happy, yet you downcast my method and called it a trick!?"

"At least when I want to make people happy, it was out of respect and honesty rather than swindle and deceit!"

"How dare you! Do you like Ouendan so much that you completely ignore everything around you in favor of what they do!? EBA made a bad decision, not only letting you into their organization, but giving you a second to highest rank without even thinking of how quickly you make friends with their most hated enemies!"

J grabs J-Yama by his necktie and nearly hauls him off the ground, "You're really starting to test my patience!"

"Ack!" the cynical Agent chokes, "Now you threaten to harm me for Ouendan's sake!? Our Commander will have you thrown out when he hears about this!"

"Go ahead and keep pushin' my buttons, asswad!" J snarls, pulling his fist back, "One of 'em'll guarantee you a new nose to go with your Bloody Mary!" he was about to thrust his fist forward when his arm jerked. He snaps his head back to see a gloved hand tightly gripping his elbow. Following the arm attached to it he finds Hajime laying on his back with his arm stretched out; eyes squeezed shut and face twitching from his fight to stay conscious.

A few seconds after focusing on Hajime, J comes to the realization of his actions. Shaken, he unconsciously loosens his grip on J-Yama's necktie while slowly lowering the arm he threatened to hit him with.

J-Yama snorts, smacking the BA-2 Agent's hand off and backing away, "Kasei! You are very lucky I am too eager to interrogate Ouendan leader, or you would have three seconds to say goodbye to everyone in this agency before you are thrown out in the most humiliating way possible!" he then grabs Hajime's wrist and rips it from J's elbow, hauling the rookie Ouendan out of bed and dragging him out of the room.

J watches as the door to his quarters slide shut before collapsing in his chair and burying his face in his hands.

* * *

Ryuta turns the position of his sleeping mat around, with the head facing away from the wall, as he climbs in and lies on his stomach, resting his chin on his pillow with his arms stretched around him.

"**Our luck appears to be taking a turn for the worse,**" Suzuki mutters in frustration, laying on his back in his sleeping mat while staring at the ceiling, "**Not only has J-Yama turned the agency against us, but he has used his tactics to capture both Tanaka-sama and Doumeki-sama.**"

"As long as Spin and Jonouchi remain in Central, Hajime and Kai won't come to too much harm," Ryuta mumbles, pulling the ribbons off his forehead and topknot, which falls into a mildly wild, shoulder-long strand of hair, "This just means that we have to find some way of getting our point across before J-Yama tears up the agency more than it's already suffered."

"**It's hard for us to even know if Tanaka-sama and Doumeki-sama are okay. Both of their fighting spirits are weak and hard to lock onto in a place brimming with other spirits, all of which are burning with aggravation over their new team member.**"

"All we can do for now is hope Hajime and Kai can last long enough for us to come up with a rescue plan," Ryuta sighs and eyes his pillow, "Though it's going to be a hassle trying to explain to Hajime's family what's going on and whether they'll accept the burdens..."

* * *

Hajime laid on the bench-like window sill of a dark room. The window exposed the undersea environment as many fish swim by with little to no acknowledgement of the things around them.

A killer whale swims by the window, causing Hajime to stir from its strong, feral spirit. The rookie groans as he sits up, grabbing his head in dizziness.

"Damn... What time is it...?" he grumbles. He then glances out the window, suddenly remembering where he was, "That's right... I got electrocuted and passed out in the streets..." he groans a Japanese curse word as he rubs the left side of his neck, frowning when he felt something flat and jagged scrap along his hand.

"What the...!?" he squeaked, feeling around the object some more while picturing what it looked like in his mind. Aside from the jagged edges and thin mass, there was also a star-shaped bulge in the center.

Hajime's frown increases as he feels the back of the object for a latch or needle only to find it was glued to something thin and rough. He grabs the badge and tries to tear it off only to have his fingers slip a minute later. Muffling another curse word in Japanese, he hops off the bench and surveys his new surroundings.

Though blurry because of the absence of his glasses, he concludes that J-Yama had stuffed him in a rundown guestroom; most likely five floors below the surface.

"Ugh... This place could use a little redecorating," he mutters to himself. There were cracks on three corners of the wall and a partially destroyed mirror near one end of the room. It was then that Hajime noticed a white band around his neck with a gold badge, identical to that tacked onto the Agents' license, pressed against the left side as though it were a buckle.

Muffling a growl in frustration, Hajime turns and heads for the door leading to the dim-lit hallway. But just as he made passage through the doorframe, his entire body surged with electricity, causing him to spazz seconds before flying back into the room and hitting the floor on his back.

By the time he regained his senses, Hajime heard a flurry of bleeps and a spark. Propping onto his elbows, he sees Chieftain hold his badge to the panel below the keypad before walking over to him. The two stare for a minute before Hajime scoffs.

"Dude, you really outdid yourself this time," he said as he got up and dusted himself off, "Are lamps so expensive nowadays that you didn't bother to add them to every guestroom in your base?"

"You're in no position to be making demands!" Chieftain growls, "Especially now that you don't have your handicap to help you along!"

"Handicap...?"

"Your glasses, stupid!" Hajime frowns in bewilderment as he scratches the corner of his eye, "Now that you're blind, you no longer have the right to go around, thinking you can outlast us like you did three months ago!"

"So let me get this straight," Hajime grumbles, "You think that, just because I'm nearsighted, you can back me into a corner when I don't have my glasses to tell me where I am?"

"The way you sound, it must mean that I've finally found a way to knock you back whenever you try and threaten the pride of our agency!"

Hajime snorts and turns his head away from Chieftain, crossing his arms, "Oh-ho no, Sheriff Manobi! I'm thinkin' just how incredibly idiotic you are in underestimating the capabilities of a weak-eyed individual!"

Chieftain bares his teeth in frustration, "Don't you dare think you can outsmart me this time, Gaki!"

Hajime flinches and snaps his head back to Chieftain, "D...Did you just call me a brat!?"

"Hit a nerve, did I, Gaki?" Hajime just stares at him before snidely clapping his hands.

"Oh... I applaud your success! It must've been a hard word to find in an 800-page, Japanese dictionary!" Chieftain's jaw nearly drops as Hajime turns his back on him, placing his hand on his chin in thought, "Oh wait! You got it from the internet, didn't you?" Chieftain shook in anger while Hajime threw one hand over his eyes and waved the other behind him, "Wait...wait! I think I know the site...! Let me just...!"

"WHAT'S IT TAKE TO SMASH YOU, GAKI!!" Chieftain roars, folding his hands and preparing to hammer slam Hajime. By the time he swung his arms down, the rookie Ouendan had pivoted out of the way, skidding to a halt near the door.

"One thing you atta know about me," Hajime began as he stands up and flips Chieftain's badge open, gaining a hysterical glare from the top Agent, "Just because I can't tell a number from a letter without glasses doesn't mean I can't find my way around this base!"

"You give that back, Gaki!" Chieftain snarled as Hajime held the badge towards the panel behind him.

"You want it so badly?" Hajime sneers as the doorway's force field flickers off, "Why don't you come and take it from me!?" he then dashes out of the room and down the hall. Chieftain blew steam from his ears as he charges out of the room after him.

* * *

Spin, Derek and Lava looked through the glass window exposing the dance studio inside, which was unintentionally turned into an interrogation room. Kai could be seen tied to a chair with thick cable wire as J-Yama paced around him, hands behind his back.

"**You think you're so smart by just sitting there and being silent about this,**" J-Yama said calmly as he stops in front of Kai and turns to face him, "**But the end of your misdeeds will soon be at hand. And once your little preachers see you for what you really are, you'll have more than EBA defiling your once proud organization!**"

Kai snorts and turns away from J-Yama. He smirks and grabs his beard, jerking his head back to him, "**I'll ask you one more time! Where are your little gang of vagabonds stationed at!?**"

"**I told you a thousand times! I don't know!**" Kai snarls.

"**Liar! A true leader would never reveal the whereabouts of his squad if he knows that he'll be putting them in danger!**" J-Yama got closer to Kai's face, "**Or worse, if they see him for what he really is: a nobody who thinks he's changing the world by spreading silly beliefs that he can see people's hearts and dance to them whenever they call for help!**"

"Man!" Spin grumbles, "It really pisses me off that he's throwin' his weight around and none of us can do anythin' to stop him!"

"Not much we can do until we figure out something that'll expose J-Yama for what he is," Derek grumbles, "The Commander sticks by the old 'Innocent until Proven Guilty' rule. Therefore, as long as we don't have solid evidence, we can't prove that our opinions are really facts."

Spin looks over to Derek, "You'd think the Commander would've caught on by now! But no! J-Yama somehow manages to trick him into thinkin' we was hatin' him 'cause we friends with the Ouendan, then persuades him into givin' him a position as an Agent!" he turns to Derek and points to him, "I can bet you fifty bucks the guy can't even dance or sing to whoever calls on him to try and push them to achievin' their goals!"

Derek sighs and lowers his head, "No doubtin' that, partner," he looks over to Spin with a smirk on his face, "And I'll wager if the Commander does choose him to respond to a mission, he'd be sweatin' like a fountain!"

"COME BACK HERE, YOU BRAT!!" roars a voice from down the hall. Spin, Derek and Lava look to the source only to have a black blur fly by them. Lava's specks disappear, revealing the black dots around her blue eyes, while Chieftain's badge appeared in Derek's hand. Spin looks towards the door seeing it wide open.

The trio then saw Chieftain stop behind them, darting looks everywhere before finding the open door and running inside.

"What just happened...?" Derek squeaked, staring at Chieftain's badge.

"Apparently, no one told our new guest about Chief's coffee withdrawal," Spin snickers, looking at the dancing studio, "Then again, I doubt he'd be fazed one bit by the change in personality." Derek and Lava follow his glance back to the window exposing the interior of the dance studio.

Kai bit J-Yama's nose, causing him to scream in pain. He jabs his hand into his pocket, pulls out the meteor piece and slams it into the attacker's chest, sending a surge of lavender electricity coursing through his body until he released hold. J-Yama stumbles back, grabbing his teeth-marked nose while pocketing the meteor piece and pointing at Kai.

"**Cannibal!**" he screamed, "**If it wasn't for the fact that I need you for questioning, I'd have your mouth sowed shut so I won't get eaten!**" he then gets back into Kai's face, grinning sinisterly, "**But no matter. I already have one of your friends and it won't be long before I get the rest and prove to them what a fraud you really are!**"

Kai's frown increases as J-Yama moves back a bit, "**Yes, you can thank one of our Agents for kindly bringing him in. A shame he won't be doing the same for the rest of your brainwashed squadron, or your rein of misconduct would be over sooner than-**"

One of the mirrors flew open, cutting J-Yama off as he turns to see a blur fly over him and land on the disco ball hanging three feet from the ceiling. He screams in fright when he saw Hajime sitting on top of the ball, wearing Lava's specks.

"W...wasn't he near dead when J brought him in!?" Derek stutters, shoulders slumped in dumbstruck shock.

"You obviously don't remember how fast he recovers from a beat down," Spin snickers as he places his hands in his pockets.

"Hey!" Lava yips, "Mr. Tanaka's new glasses look exactly like mine!"

Chieftain barges into the room, darting his eyes around, "Where are you, Gaki!?"

"YOU BIG OAF!!" J-Yama roared, grabbing Chieftain by the collar of his coat and yanking him down to his level, "I told you to keep an eye on that kid! How dare you let him run loose in this base!"

"Shut up!" Chieftain snarled, smacking J-Yama into a nearby mirror.

"You may be fast on your feet when it comes to dancing," Hajime said, grabbing the tall Agent's attention as he darts his glare towards him, "But it's still gonna take you a million years before you can catch me!"

"That is not a swing, Gaki!" Chieftain roars, "Now get down from there!"

"Why should I?" Hajime pseudo-whines, resting his elbow on his knee while placing his chin atop the back of his hand, "You're a tall guy! Why not come up here and get me?" He then turns his head to the side, still eyeing Chieftain, "Oh, but you better hurry. Your Commander's on his way down here, and he ain't too happy with your actions."

"A pack of lies!" J-Yama shouts, jumping to his feet and pointing at Hajime, "You are only saying that to scare us! We all know the Commander is too busy with his work to come down here and constrain you!"

"But since you're having problems controlling our two prisoners," said a voice, causing J-Yama to nearly jump to the ceiling in surprise, "I felt obliged to put aside my work to settle matters personally." Everyone looks to the open door to see Kahn walk into the room with his arms crossed.

Hajime sighs and scratches his head, "Ooi, Kahn-sama! Really gotta stop meetin' like this!"

"I specifically told you to stop making fools of yourselves by cheering for people, of whom you claim were answered by your hearts," Kahn said, staring up at Hajime sternly, "And yet, even after we gave you a sample of true world motivation, you still insisted on going around cheering for anyone who calls on you. Don't you even know the damage you have done in your home country alone?"

Hajime snorts and turns his head away from Kahn, still eyeing him, "And what about you, Mr. Let's-Do-Things-My-Way!? Do you even bother understanding that most of the people you choose to help may also have competitors who'll see you as enemies once you motivate your clients to floor them?"

"Most of the people we motivate are of good nature," Kahn said, "The people you cheer for, on the other hand, are ones who make use of your lack of awareness to get what they want while shattering the dreams of the good souls who deserve them." His frown tightens, "And now here you are, in America, with the blind intention of giving more troublemakers the idea of using you to cause trouble!"

"Ho, great! Now you assume we came to America to further defile the true meaning of cheering for the world!?" Hajime exclaims as he leapt off the disco ball and lands in front of Kahn, placing a fist at his side while pointing to him, "It's bad enough that you blamed Ouendan for 'interfering' with your agency by offering to teach your most respected Agents our methods and later lending our aide to push their son towards achieving his goal in gaining his license. Then you humiliated us by setting up a competition, that had ABSOLUTELY NO CHALLENGE WHATSOEVER, and using the evidence you screwed up to make future generation Agents think we have no brain or equality to live up to your expectations."

"I only did what was necessary for both you and my agency," Kahn said as Hajime withdrew his hand and plants it on his side, "You have great talents that should be put to better use and I don't want to have it shattered should the competition-"

"Fall in favor of Ouendan?" Hajime interrupts, throwing his hands behind his back while turning his head away from Kahn, still eyeing him, "I think you're belief in common knowledge has left you so piss-spewin' scared that, rather than experiment with the methods we offer like curious scientists trying to uncover the makings of the world, you automatically assume your Agents will completely ignore your method of seeking and helping people in need in favor of 'taking wild guesses' and 'aiding people who may be too cold-hearted to be cheered to'."

"Don't you dare talk to the Commander like that, Gaki!" Chieftain growls, grabbing Hajime by the ribbons on his shoulders and hauling him off the ground, "You have absolutely no idea of the trouble you're causing by continuing this charade! Now that we've found the leader of your petty little squadron, you'll no longer have the galls to even praise and follow him like you always do in the past!"

Hajime wasn't fazed by Chieftain's apprehension and turns his head towards one wall of mirrors where Spin, Derek and Lava are still watching from the other side.

"See!?" he groans with a shrug, "Their lack of understanding is the exact reason we're having trouble forming an alliance! The minute they get information from word of mouth alone, they immediately take action without even stopping to ask themselves if what they heard was actually true!" he turns his attention back to Chieftain, planting his fists on his side, "Absolutely no credit to investigation whatsoever!"

"That does it!" Chieftain roars, throwing Hajime to the floor and pointing to him, "I'm challenging you to a dance-off to shut that snide little mouth of yours once and for all!"

"Why should you be the one to challenge me?" Hajime asked, turning to his side and resting his cheek on his hand while pointing towards J-Yama, "He's the one who's so eager to get rid of us. Why can't he just do it for you?"

J-Yama nearly flinches in fright from Hajime's remark as Chieftain and Kahn look towards him.

"That is true," Kahn mutters, rubbing his chin in thought, "Since he was traumatized by the Ouendan, it's only fair that he be the one to face off against them. That way, he'll finally recover from the blows dealt to him and carry on with his life."

"Bologna!" Chieftain snorts, "I haven't seen him perform once! There's no way he could knock these vagabonds for a loop!" J-Yama quickly straightens upon hearing the remark.

"H-How dare you!" he exclaimed, "I'll have you know that I've wooed the girls at every dance club in Japan!"

"Oh, then you won't have a problem shutting me up," Hajime said as he appeared beside J-Yama and threw his elbow onto his shoulder, leaning against him like a human pillar, "Just fire up that little holodeck and we'll have loads of fun trying to out-dance each other."

J-Yama muffled some stutters as he trembled in hesitation. He then yells and throws his arms into the air, knocking Hajime back a couple of feet.

"Why should I challenge you!?" he snaps, pointing a finger at the rookie Ouendan who just stood in his spot and puts his hands behind his back, "You are just the appetizer to the main course! I will not waste my energy on the likes of you!" he turns to the Commander, "I prefer to wait until everyone is gathered before the crushing blow is dealt! Then we will all be rid of these nobodies and nothing will stop us from spreading our joys throughout the whole world!" shouting a battlecry, he rushes out of the room.

Kahn sighs, "Then we'd better hurry and get the rest of the Ouendan rounded up so this fiasco can be over and done with." He eyes Hajime as he began picking lint from his gloves, "I expect you don't start stirring up trouble during that time."

"Huh, you talk as if I snuck into your base and tried to hammer Yosemite Sam over there," Hajime said while flicking some of the lint from his fingers. Chieftain's tenseness increased in anger.

"Will you stop making fun of my appearance!?" he roared.

"Gee, I dunno," Hajime said, rubbing his pinky into his ear, "You willing to stop calling me Gaki if I do?" Chieftain growled as the rookie Ouendan pulled his pinky out and blew some crust from its tip.

"I called you Gaki 'cause you're acting like one!"

Hajime snorts and turns his back on Chieftain, placing his hands behind his head, "Fine, have it your way, Howdy Dowdy." Chieftain's growl turns into a snarl as he throttles in anger.

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU, GAKI!!" he bellows, about to charge Hajime when Kahn gets in front of him.

"That's quite enough," he orders, "Agent Chieftain, I understand the coffee's running late again, so I suggest you go cool off before you wind up paying for property damage." Chieftain muffles a growl before turning and storming out of the room. Kahn gives Hajime an annoyed glance, then heads out himself.

"He sure is asking for a world of hurt," Derek mutters as he, Spin and Lava watch Chieftain stomp down the hall.

"Yeah, but I know he ain't hammerin' Chief's feelings for a laugh," Spin said, "It's just a matter of time before he finally decides to stop treatin' him like an obstacle and more like a friend."

"Good luck on that one," Derek snorts, "You know how prideful Chieftain is. Someone starts messin' with his pride, it'll take a lot more than apologies to gain his forgiveness."

"No doubtin' that. But I'm sure Haji'll find some way of getting Chief to understand his friendly side."

* * *

J-Yama yells in frustration as he punches the wall of his quarters, nearly putting a dent in it.

"Hiretsukan!" he seethed, "**How dare he try to ruin my plans! Even if I could dance, I would only be shutting down one organization instead of both!**" he pulls the meteor piece out of his pocket and stares at it, "**I cannot let these groups of happy-go-lucky damnations give people a reason to tear me out of my powers! I must find a way to throw them at each others throats before they finally set aside their differences and throw me back into that hellhole I tried to escape from!**"

He walks over to his bed and sits down, rubbing his chin, "**Perhaps I can fake being sick the day those Ouendan are rounded up.**" He pauses for a moment, "**No...if I did that, they'll just postpone the competition until I heal. Maybe I can pretend I broke my ankle and claim that I can no longer dance. Then they will have no choice but to challenge Ouendan themselves!**"

J-Yama drops back on his bed, laughing sinisterly as he holds the meteor piece into the air, "**And once they destroy each other, I will use this meteor piece to usher this world into an era where I control everything. They will obey me and fill me with so much riches, I would have to buy a new building just to hold it all! And the best part is, no matter how many people try to stop me, I will always have you to stop them, Lady Luck!**" he snickers greedily as he brings the meteor piece down and shuts his eyes, imagining what the future has in store for him.

End Notes:

1. Kasei means "tyranny" in Japanese. Manobi is also another Japanese word for "stupid" or "slowed down".


	18. Episode 18: Full Potential Achieved

Episode 18: Full Potential Achieved

Hajime sat, Indian Style, behind the chair Kai remained tied to, resting his right elbow on one knee and his left hand on the other; resting his chin on his fist.

"**We should've been at work by now,**" he grumbles, bouncing left knee up and down, "**Hope Ryuta can come up with an excuse for our absence...**" he eyes Kai, who appears to be unconscious from the torment he suffered earlier, "**Hey! I'm not a whiner! You were the one who chose a bad time to be Sherlock Holmes!**"

Hajime continues to stare at Kai before snorting and getting up, "**Whatever. I'm getting something to eat. Want me to get you something?**" He looks over to Kai, "**Of course, that's assuming you'd be fully conscious when I get back.**" He continues to stare at Kai before snorting again and heading out of the dance studio.

After wandering the base for a couple of hours, Hajime comes to a pair of doors, the left red and the right blue. Over the doors is a sign that read "Renaissance Kitchen".

"**Renaissance?**" he mutters to himself, "**I'm not going to find myself in a 15****th**** century beer hall, am I?**"

The doors slide open, revealing a moderate-looking restaurant with red and blue tiled floors, round tables, some with turntables in the center, and walls made of sandblasted stone. Hajime takes a minute to survey the area before noticing Chieftain sitting in the center of the kitchen with his folded arms resting on the table. He cringes upon feeling the overwhelming sense of anger boiling within the top Agent's spirit, then sighs.

"**Maybe I was being a little too gaki around him...**" he mutters to himself, "**Guess I'd better apologize before he kills someone.**"

Hajime heads over to Chieftain and sat down beside him, resting his folded hands on the table and staring ahead a few minutes before glancing towards him, "Hey, I'm...sorry for treating you like a joke. Maybe we should start over and be friends, whad'ya say?"

He presents his hand in offering, but doesn't even get a glance from the tall Agent. Hajime furrows his eyebrows as he gets up, leaning one hand on the table, and slaps the other on Chieftain's shoulder, "Hey, c'mon! I admit I humiliated you just to save myself from being chewed up and spit out, but you don't have to make a big deal out of-"

Chieftain shoots up and grabs the wrist of the hand on his shoulder, using it to slam Hajime's back on the table. The rookie Ouendan coughs in pain of his spine slamming into the table's edge as the specks he snagged from Lava jumped off and landed near the corner. Hajime tries to get up only to have Chieftain's free hand slam into his chest, keeping him pinned to the surface as he grunts from the sandwiching pressure.

"Look! Mr. Chieftain's in a foul mood!" yips a voice. Chieftain snaps a glare towards Lava and Mecho, who had their front paws resting on the table as support to keep them on their hind legs.

"Aw, poor Mr. Chieftain!" Lava whines, "Let's give him a kiss to cheer him up!"

"Don't you da-!" Chieftain threatened. But before he could finish, the two dogs had thrown their front paws onto his chest, madly running their tongues along his face. Garbling random words, he takes his hands off Hajime and struggles to push the dogs off him.

Hajime stares at the action above him before feeling a pair of hands grab his ankles and yank him under the table. Finally off the table, he pulls himself on his elbow and knees, rubbing the sore in his lower spine.

"Yo, Haji! Look's like we got here just in time!" hypes a voice. Hajime looks to the source, seeing Spin crouched beside him.

"Thanks..." he groaned, pushing himself into a sitting position on his legs. Spin then hands him his glasses.

"J's miffed at the moment, so he wanted me to find you and give these back." Hajime took the glasses and slipped them on as Spin leans back a bit while crossing his arms, "Say, have ya ever invested in contacts? 'Cause I gotta say, dawg, you look hella badass without them bulky eyewear."

"I did at one point. But they got irritating afterwards, so I threw them out," Hajime sighs, pushing the glasses up a little further to his face.

"HOW DARE YOU!!" shouts a voice from the far end of the room.

"ME!? HOW DARE **YOU!!**" shouts another voice. Spin cringes as he looks towards the source of the shouting.

"Oh, what's eatin' them now...?" He grumbled, crawling out of the table. Hajime emerged a minute later, seeing Spin head over to an archway at the other end of the room with the word "Kitchen" written overhead in Old English text.

* * *

Jean and Lau press their noses against each other, red in the face and blowing steam out of their ears. Morris and Derek stood a few feet from them, sweatdropping at the scene while trying to figure out a solution to the problem.

"Yo, where the fire, peeps?" Spin asked as he walked towards the scuffle.

"You're...sorta lookin' at it," Morris mutters, pointing to Lau and Jean.

"Someone put too much wasabi and jalapeño sauce in their pot," Derek said, "Rather than look into the matter, the two started pointing fingers at each other, which soon turned into a glaring contest."

"Well...where's Leo?" Spin asked with a shrug, "Ain't he supposed to be the peacekeeper of this dig?"

"Peacekeeper?" Morris laughs nervously, pointing to the throne, "Just became Peacebreaker."

Spin looks towards where Morris pointed, seeing Leo slumped on the throne, sweating fountains and lolling a very red tongue. Foxx stood on one side of him, dabbing beads of sweat with a cold, damp towel, while Starr stood on the other, waving a fan up and down.

"_The pain..._" Leo wheezed, "_My poor tongue... What...have they done to you...to deserve this...?_"

"Here! Drink this!" Missy said, stooping over Leo with a bucket of water in her hands.

"ACK!!" Leo screams, "NO!! NOT THAT!!" he tries to get away but Missy had already spilled the water into his mouth. The ref screamed in agony before going limp on the throne.

"Thanks a lot, Missy!" Starr groused, planting her fists onto her thighs, "You just about killed him!"

"Don't you know water mixed with spicy sauce equals excruciating pain!?" Foxx complains. Missy moans in embarrassment as she scratches the back of her head.

"Oh great!" Morris exclaims, grabbing the flaps of his fedora and pulling it down, "Now how're we gonna stop this fiasco!?"

Spin rubs his chin before slapping his fist onto his hand, "Yo! No need to worry, boys!" he walks over to Lau and Jean, pulling them apart, "How 'bout we settle this dispute over a cooking competition? 3 outta 4 dishes gets a 'Get Outta Jail Free' card!"

"Impossible!" Lau whines, "Who's going to substitute for ref!?"

"I will," Spin said, throwing a hand on his chest, "I have great taste, and Leo gave me some tips on judgin' the quality of food!"

"Well! If it's a cook-off that will decide who takes the blame, I would accept!" Jean declares, "But I want motivators!"

"Me too!" Lau demands, "I need someone who will encourage me to push forward, even if I put the wrong ingredient in my food!"

"No worries, mi amigos! Our best motivators happen to be standin' right...in...front...of..." Spin trails off when he looks up to find Morris and Derek "calmly" walking for the kitchen exit, "Hey! What up, dawgs!?" The two come to a flinching halt, both turning to Spin while trying to grin.

"Can't dance on an empty stomach, now can we?" Derek asked.

"And besides," Morris chuckles nervously, "Ya got things under control here, so we figured we take our leave. So...ciao!" with that, the two bolt out the door.

Spin runs to the arch, grabbing the corners as he calls out to the two, "SELL OUTS!!"

"COME BACK!!" Jean and Lau scream, shoving Spin back into the kitchen as they try to flag down the escaping back-ups only to nearly crush themselves on the arch.

"This is all your fault!" Jean cries as Spin sits up and rubs his head.

"Oh that's it! I'm through being badgered by the likes of you!" Lau cries. Spin freaks when the two started coming at each other with knives in each hand.

"YO!!" he screams, scrambling between the two, using one leg to push Lau back and both hands to hold Jean's arms up, "Knives are for choppin' ingredients, not human flesh!"

"You seem to be doing a nice job of peacekeeping," chuckles a voice. Spin looks over to the kitchen archway to see J walk in with a cocky grin on his face.

"Gee, thanks!" Spin grumbles before screaming, "HELP ME, MAN!"

Jean soon catches sight of J and pulls back with a shrug, "Ah! Monsieur J! A pleasure running into you!" he walks over to the BA-2 Agent, causing Spin to fall flat on his face from leaning too far forward.

"Funny...I don't feel the same," J mutters as Jean threw his arm around his shoulders.

"Oh, so funny!" Jean laughs as he leans onto him like a human podium, "Listen, Monsieur J, we have a bit of a dispute I was hoping you can help resolve!"

"Uh...sure thing..." J mutters, seeming a bit unsure of where Jean was going with the story.

"Bu...But what about me!?" Lau whines, "Where's my motivator!?"

"Hey! I can't be the motivator!?" Spin said, sounding hurt, as he props himself on his hands and knees.

"You silly rookie!" Jean chuckles slyly, "Did you already forget!? You declared yourself a judge! It'd be cheating if you were to dance to someone you will be sampling fine cuisine from!"

Lau stutters while waving his fists up and down before whipping his head around, "What about Mr. X!? He always shows up when there's two people in need of a motivator!"

"Heh...sorry," J shrugs nervously, "The...Commander needed him for something, so he can't be here today."

"Which means that this competition is over before it began!" Jean laughs while his left hand on his right cheek, "Monsieur Spin, X and the Divas are all too busy to deal with a whiny little chef like you. But I'm sure you'll have a fun time coming up with a good excuse for ruining today's lunch."

"Quick to write everyone off?" asked a voice, "I think Porky isn't the only person in this room trying to cheat his way out of a confession." Everyone turned to see Hajime leaning against the frame of the arch with his arms and legs crossed.

"Excuse me!?" Jean exclaims.

"Hey, Haji!" Spin laughs nervously as he gets up and looks around him, "I know lunch is runnin' a little late, but we're havin' a bit of a situation here."

"I'm in no hurry," Hajime said as he pushes off the wall and walks into the kitchen while reaching into his pocket and pulling out his old, emblem stamped bandana, "I'm used to exercising before a meal."

"Exercising?" J asked, seeming to sense some excitement brimming in the rookie Ouendan's spirit.

"Ho-ho!" Jean chuckles, "Surely you aren't thinking of being Lard Poo-Poo's motivator, are you?"

"Why not?" Hajime asked as he walks over to Lau, tightening the bandana around his forehead, "I got nothing better to do while waiting for lunch to finish up." He threw his arm around Lau's shoulders, "And besides. It's been a while since I had Asian cuisine, so this evens things out."

Jean nearly falls over with laughter, "How hilarious! Poor Poo-Poo is being cheered by a loon who thinks he can see people's spirits!" he rubs J's shoulder gaining an annoyed glance from the BA-2 Agent, "While I have the best Agent to cheer me to victory!"

"IT'S A MISTAKE!!" Lau cries, knocking Hajime's arm off and running for J, "I DON'T WANNA GET STUCK WITH THAT...THAT...VANDAL!!"

Jean sticks his foot onto Lau's face before he could come within inches of J, "Why don't you be a man for once and take what's coming to you!?" he then kicks Lau back, sending the tubby chef tumbling towards his side of the kitchen where he stops, flat on his stomach and facing Hajime.

"Haji, are you sure you wanna do this?" J asked with a cocky shrug, "I'm not exactly a pro at goin' easy on newcomers."

"I don't expect you to," Hajime said as he walks away from Lau, "If you did, your walking pillar of a chef'll get smashed before he finishes the appetizers."

"He speaks nonsense!" Jean laughs, "Everyone has seen what your messed up squadron can do. There is no way he can possibly be a match for you, Monsieur J."

Hajime stops three feet away from Lau, whips around and thrusts his finger towards him, shouting at the top of his lungs.

**_OSU!_**

The minute the word reaches Lau's ears, an ambiguous feeling flows through his bloodstream, causing his eyes to burn as he transform from panicky to thriving confidence. Jean's jaw almost hits the floor as Spin and J stare at the new Lau in utter shock.

"Wow! Ryuta was right!" Hajime laughs, punching a fist into his palm before crossing his arms, "It doesn't matter how many people know our style as long as we give them a sign that we wanna help!"

"Whoa! What just happened!?" Spin squeaks, "Lau's literally on fire!"

"No kiddin'!" J mutters, "Haji shouts one word and his fighting spirit nearly soars through the roof!"

"This, my friends, is the true power of Ouendan!" Hajime said, "By combining our fighting spirit with that of one or more people in despair, they'll burn with enough confidence to battle any obstacle that gets in his way! Our performance fuels the ambition, keeping them thriving and willing to achieve the goal they want!"

"Well then!" J said excitedly, pulling his microphone out, "This should be a fun challenge to beat!"

"Cool, man!" Spin shouts, "Then how about we have a little warm-up by starting with the appetizers!?"

Jean and Lau glare at each other before running to their side of the kitchen and madly rushing to get the dish done. J and Hajime glance to each other, competitively, as they head off to help their respected partners.

_Don't be shocked by tone of my voice  
Check out my new weapon, weapon of choice  
Don't be shocked by tone of my voice  
Check out my new weapon, weapon of choice yeah_

With Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice" playing on the overhead speakers, J and Hajime start off on the first half of their performance, the BA-2 Agent strutting his most dazzling moves while the rookie Ouendan pulls off his lighthearted, less aggressive cheer moves.

Jean and Lau, meanwhile, agreed on their own form of appetizer and began running around the kitchen to get their ingredients. Lau, feeling the burn of his own ambition, was throwing ingredients with so much gusto, it almost looks as though he knew what to use and where to put them without a second thought.

_  
__Listen to the sound of my voice  
You can check it on out, it's the weapon of choice yeah_

With the appetizers prepared, Jean and Lau rushed over to Spin, who sat on the throne, and threw two dome-covered plates in front of him. Lau's looked like a red dragon made of shrimp, while Jean's looked like white flowers most likely made of lettuce and cauliflower.

"Well, then!" Spin said as he began tasting the samples.

_You can blow wit' this  
Or you can blow wit' that  
You can blow wit' this  
Or you can blow wit' that  
You can blow wit' this  
Or you can blow wit' that  
Or you can blow wit' us  
_

After taking a moment to savor the tastes, Spin immediately leaps up, "And the appetizer goes to..." he began, watching as Jean and Lau trembled with anticipation. Spin points towards Lau, gaining a shocked expression from both him and Jean, "Lau Pai Pai!"

"Wh-WHAT!?" Jean shouts, staring at Hajime in bewilderment as he stares back at him, arms crossed and sporting a cocky grin on his face, "But he wasn't even dancing! How could he...!?"

"Who cares!?" Lau shouts with glee, "I'm winning this competition, so shut it and take it like a man!" Jean glares at him in frustration before marching back to his side of the kitchen.

J whistles in surprise over how quickly Hajime took rein of the competition, "Wow! I guess I was goin' a little too easy on ya, Haji! Look's like I'll have to step up my performance for the next course!"

_You can blow wit' this  
Or you can blow wit' that  
You can blow wit' this  
Or you can blow wit' that  
You can blow wit'..._

With the soup course underway, Jean and Lau began boiling water while trying to decide on the best ingredients to use for their dish. Jean grabbed some ingredients and began chopping and tossing them into the pot. Lau nearly freaks and does the same, throwing in his own ingredients with the same gusto as before, but because of his rushed decision, he was having problems figuring out what to put into the pot that won't ruin the taste or appearance.

_Walk without rhythm, it won't attract the worm  
Walk without rhythm, and it won't attract the worm  
Walk without rhythm, and it won't attract the worm  
if you walk without rhythm, you'll never learn_

With the soup ready, Jean and Lau rushed over to Spin and slapped their bowls down, looking on as he stared at each dish in eagerness. Lau's soup looked like the peaceful mountainsides of China, while Jean's looked like the quiet woods of France.

Spin picks up a spoon and begins sampling both plates. The two chefs stiffened upon waiting for his response.

_Be careful, we don't know them  
Be careful, we don't know them  
Be careful, we don't know them_

After a few seconds, the rookie Agent springs up, "And the winner of the soup course is!" he throws his hand towards Jean, "Jean Pulori!"

Lau freaks upon realizing the sudden shift in victory. Jean laughs and throws his hands at his side.

"As I thought!" he chuckles snidely, leering at Hajime who frowns in annoyance, "You only won that last round because your joke of a motivator almost scared me out of my pants!"

Hajime snorts before throwing his hands up and shouting "Osu" again, causing Lau to turn from panicking to burning with ambition as he rushes back to his side of the kitchen to continue cooking. J grins cockily as he prepares for his next move.

_You can blow wit' this  
Or you can blow wit' that  
You can blow wit' this  
Or you can blow wit' that  
You can blow wit' this  
Or you can blow wit' that  
Or you can blow wit' us_

The chefs start on the main course, using what they can think of to make the best dish possible. With Hajime and J pulling off every move they had to motivate their fine cooking, it was hard to figure out who out beats who.

_You can blow wit' this  
Or you can blow wit' that  
You can blow wit' this  
Or you can blow wit' that  
You can blow wit' this  
Or you can blow wit' that  
Or you can blow wit'_

With the main course ready, the two chefs rush their plates over to Spin, watching impatiently as he looks at each meal and takes a small portion for a taste test. He takes a moment to savor the taste before whistling in astonishment, "Wow, man! I can't decide! I'd say you both won this course!"

"Seriously!?" the two screamed in dumbstruck horror. They glare at each other again before running back to their side of the kitchen to start on desert.

_Organically grown  
Through the hemisphere I roam  
To make love to the angels of life, yeah  
and my girl  
I guess you just don't understand  
It's gone beyond being a man  
As I drift off into the night  
I'm in flight_

Nearing the end of the competition, Spin sits on the throne, rubbing his chin as he contemplates the winner of the cook-off.

"Well, peeps," he began, "This' it! Time to decide who stays and who goes!"

J places one hand on his side, keeping the one holding the microphone hanging beside him, while Hajime just stood in his spot and crossed his arms; both watching to see what'll happen next.

Spin gets up after a moment and throws his hands in his pocket, looking between Jean and Lau, "Y'all be surprised about this one!" Jean and Lau leaned forward a bit as the rookie took his hands out of his pocket, and points to both of them, laughing somewhat excitedly, "Cause it looks like it's a tie!"

"TIE!?" the chefs nearly shriek while their respected motivators blink in surprise.

"Yep," Spin shrugs, "Sorry, look's like y'all have to take responsibility for this disaster!" Jean and Lau open their mouths to protest, but just turned blue in the face and collapsed onto one another in a faint.

J and Hajime continued to stare at the scene in front of them before collapsing into a kneeling position to catch their breaths. After a moment, the two's shoulders bounce from muffling chuckles until they flopped to a sitting position, bursting out with laughter.

"Wow! That was fun!" J gasps between laughs as he gets up and walks over to Hajime, "That was some killer moves you pulled off, Haji!" he then bends over and stretches his hand out.

"You weren't so bad yourself, Jonouchi," Hajime said, reaching up and taking the hand. J pulls him onto his feet while throwing the arm he grasped around his shoulders.

"Now I get why Japan trust you homies so much!" Spin laughs as he runs over to the two and threw his arm around Hajime's shoulders, "Y'all got the rhythm and energy to boost anyone's confidence and help them understand that nothin' can stop them from achievin' their goals!"

"I do hate to break up this little laugh-fest..." Jean mutters before he and Lau jumped up and folded their hands in agony.

"BUT WHAT ABOUT LUNCH!?" they cried in pleading. The trio stare at them before Spin and J glance to each other menacingly.

"You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" J snickers.

"Oh yeah... Time to bring in some heavy discipline," Spin chuckles.

"D...discipline...?" Lau squeaks. He and Jean soon grab each other, bawling in fright.

"NO!! NOT HIM!!" Jean screams, "PLEASE!! ANYONE BUT...!!"

* * *

Five minutes later, Jean and Lau stood in their respected side of the kitchen, steadily working on cooking lunch as sweat beaded down their faces like a waterfall.

"I still think this is your fault," Jean hissed, tossing stiff noodles into a pot of boiling water, "If you hadn't tried to ruin my pasta, we wouldn't be in this mess."

"It is not my fault!" Lau seethed, "YOU were the one who tried to kill Leo with hot wasabi, while I INNOCENTLY had my back turned trying to prepare some duck."

"WILL YOU JUST TAKE YOUR BEATINGS AND GET IT OVER WITH!?" Jean shouts, rushing to the center of the kitchen. Lau does the same, throwing his face into his tall rival, trying to shove him back.

"I WILL NOT BECAUSE I'M NOT THE ONE WHO DESERVES THEM!" he screamed. The two glared daggers at each other before a growl scares the living daylights out of them. They turn to see Chieftain towering over them, shaking in anger. Meeping, the two split back to their side of the kitchen and continued cooking, trying not to mix their anxiety with their ingredients.

* * *

Ryuta, Saito and Suzuki wiped the tables of the empty restaurant as the lunch crowd had just finished clearing out. The chef comes out a minute later.

"Boys," he said, grabbing their attention as they look over to him, "You've worked hard all morning. I think it's time y'all took a break and had lunch, how 'bout it?" the three were about to answer when they heard the door open.

"Woo-wee! Mighty fine place you worked at, Amanda!" said a southern accented voice. Everyone turned to see Tex and Amanda walk in, surveying the area.

"Amanda!" the chef beamed, walking over to her, "I haven't seen ya since you passed the audition! How ya doin'?"

"Sensational!" Tex exclaims, throwing his arm around Amanda's shoulders and rubbing them, "Y'all shoulda seen her! Why she was as graceful as a swan when she got up on that stage and danced! The crowd was WILD!!"

"Oh, Tex," Amanda giggles, placing her hands on her flushing cheeks, "You're makin' me blush!"

"Seems some of Kai's persistence finally paid off," Ryuta said as he, Saito and Suzuki walked over to the two.

"Yeah, it did," Amanda said, folding her hands behind her back, "But I put most of my thanks to the Agents. They were the one's who really got my gears goin' for a shot at dacin' stardom." She then looks around, "Speakin' of which, where is Mr. Doumeki and that other guy who was with you?" Ryuta was about to answer when the door behind Amanda and Tex opened again.

"Ah, good! The lunch crowds out!" said a familiar voice. Ryuta frowns as Amanda beams and turns around, seeing Morris and Derek standing behind them with their hands in their pockets.

"Hey!" she squealed, "Speak of the devil! Here you are!"

"Wow, funny coincidence runnin' into you, Ms. Amanda," Morris said, "So, what brings you down here?"

"Oh, just thought we'd stop by and grab a bite to eat," Amanda said, "A bit of nostalgic food, if y' will."

"Ah, I see."

Ryuta's frown increases as he looks over to Saito and Suzuki, "Saito, Suzuki. Why don't you help Amanda and her friend to a table?"

"Hai!" the two piped up as they walked over to Amanda and Tex.

"This way," Suzuki said, pointing to a table at one end of the room. Amanda and Tex nod and follow after them. Morris and Derek watch before heading off to another table at the other end of the room.

"I should head back into the kitchen then," The chef said, looking over to Ryuta, "You can take your break when you feel ready." Ryuta nods as he heads off into the kitchen.

"Do you really think we should be eating here?" Derek mutters, "The Ouendan don't look too happy to see us."

"You rather walk into a restaurant and spend your lunch break signin' autographs?" Morris mutters back, "Besides, I doubt they'll make a big deal out of this as long as they know Hajime and that big Ouendan are okay."

Ryuta shows up a few seconds later with a couple of menus and slaps them down between the two Agents. Morris and Derek tried not to cringe in worry.

"Well," Morris coughs, reaching over to take one of the menus, "Let's see what..." he stops when he realized the menu wasn't budging. They look down to find Ryuta's hand still on the table, pressing the menus hard against the surface. Morris and Derek cringe as he bent down to them with a not-too-happy look on his face.

"**You two better have a good excuse as to why Hajime and Kai are being held in your base!**" Ryuta seethed. The two back-ups stare at each other in more hesitation before Derek turns his attention back to the topknot Ouendan.

"**We don't know how Hajime wound up in Central again,**" Derek began, "**As for your leader...J-Yama dragged him in and began bashing him with some kind of rock that shocked anything it touched. The Commander's trying to gather you all up, thinking if you watched us beat the guy, you'd understand just how low he is and mutiny him.**"

"**We're trying everything we can to reverse guilt and innocence,**" Morris said nervously, "**But each time we do, he always has an act that keeps up his helplessness while making bullies out of us.**"

"**There was one thing that might make the Commander less defensive to J-Yama,**" Derek said, "**When Hajime persisted on challenging him to a dance off, he nearly fainted from the idea, then began rambling and storms out of the room.**"

"**Positive or not, as long as J-Yama's aware of his flaws, he's going to do everything he can to keep his emotions below the radar,**" Ryuta said as he got up and pulled the apron off him, "**This only means that we need to act fast in order to get our point across and convince your Commander of the mistakes he's making.**" He then looks to the counter, "Ooi, Oji-san!" he shouts. The chef looks up from behind the counter as Ryuta slaps the apron down, "I'm heading out for a while. Mind taking over?"

"Sure thing, Ryu," the chef said as he heads for the kitchen door. Ryuta took another look at Morris and Derek before heading out of the restaurant.

End Notes:

1. Mr. X will be introduced later, so I'll spare the details.

2. I used the music video version of "Weapon of Choice" because, personally, it played a lot better than the original version.

3. The name and descrption of the main course in the "Renaissance Kitchen" Multiplayer level flew by too fast, so I wasn't able to figure out what to write down in this episode.


	19. Episode 19: Truths Revealed

Author Note: Yeah, sorry for the delay. I was having problems straightening out certain plots and dialogue. Also, to answer FerreTrip's question: Yes, water doesn't cool down the tongue after eating anything spicy, it just makes the pain worse. The best way to dull the pain is either drinking milk or eating a piece of bread.

Episode 19: Truths Revealed

"**Ugh! It's so hot!**" the giant, blue rat moans as he lays on his back in the forest, waving a huge fan in front of him while lolling his tongue, "**And boring...**"

"**Maybe we can terrorize Japan again, Nii-chan,**" Daai-Rat said as he sat on his monstrous brother's shoulders, bouncing his feet up and down gleefully.

"**If I did that...I'd pass out before I had a chance to flatten a skyscraper...**"

Daai-Rat grumbles before tapping his nose in thought, then looking back to his giant brother, "**How about we track down that snide black guy with the dorky headphones and torment him...just like he did three months ago when he beat me out of my victory at the arcade.**"

The giant rat looks to his brother before humming in thought, "**That's right. I still owe him a beating for disgracing you, huh?**" he then presses his finger against his cheek, "**Say...do you think if we go to America...**" he jumps up in enthusiasm, "**We get to meet Nyaragon in person!?**"

"**OOOOH!! I LOVE NYARAGON!!**" Daai-Rat squeals in delight, "**I've only seen him in that import theater in Evening City, but if he is real, I wanna see you pummel him and show the whole world just how tough you are, Nii-chan!**"

The giant rat throws his finger forward, "**Then let us be off, little brother! We have rivals to smash!**"

"**That's the Nii-chan I know!**" Daai-Rat chortles as they march off down the forest to where America is located.

* * *

Ryuta sat on a bench facing a deserted area of Brooklyn Park, running a toothpick along the spaces between his teeth to scrape out particles of food. Having observed the competition between the chefs in EBA Central, he now had enough confidence to try and prove their worth to the agency before they resort to a measure that could unintentionally issue a war between their respected nations.

However, he remains suspicious of what would happen when EBA does see the Ouendan's true potential. With J-Yama playing innocent in order to stay on Kahn's good side, there was a grim possibility the agency's witness statements would harm the squadron more than do them any good. Ryuta knows he should work this plan out carefully to bury every hole J-Yama had dug into since the day he washed up in Central.

The monstrous sensation of rhythm and jive, which Ryuta believes belongs to EBA's Commanding Officer, drew closer to his location. He continues to maintain his position as a black convertible with a star on the hood pulls up to the curb outside the park. A few seconds pass before he sees a figure leap over him and land on the asphalt path a few feet away. Ryuta frowns, noticing the person he sensed had Kahn's appearance, but wore a costumed head identical to Meowzilla. The two stare at each other a few more seconds before the new arrival pulls out a scanning device resembling a handheld mirror with a small antenna sticking out the top.

The Agent taps his finger on the screen, causing several graphs to appear and record the unfamiliar Ouendan's rhythmic output. Ryuta remains stern, flicking the toothpick away from him as he watches the unidentified Agent study the results.

"Rhythmic energy level 5..." the classified Agent mutters to himself, "This level may be higher than Mr. Tanaka's, but nowhere near that of the Ouendan that was brought in earlier." before he could figure out anymore, the scanner jerked out of his hand.

"Observation is best left to human eyes!" Ryuta said, almost standing close to the Agent's face while holding the scanning device in one hand beside him, "Trash like this is the reason our squad's been tacked with humiliation for the past three months!"

"What EBA has been trying to do," the cat-headed Agent began as Ryuta stares at the device he snatched from him, "Is get you to realize the mistakes you've been making since the day you first joined this folly excuse for an organization." Ryuta points the scanning device towards him, rubbing his chin as he studies the functions below the assortment of graphs, "You may think you can understand people by studying their spirits through your heart." Ryuta pokes the screen several times, causing the graphs to disappear and a picture of the Agent in front of him to pop up with the name "Mr. X" written below it, "But the reality is, your leader has been telling lies, making you help people who take advantage of your-"

"You couldn't come up with a codename that better describes your secret identity?" Ryuta interrupts, placing his freehand along the top of his elbow while staring at the picture of the incognito Agent, "I figured you'd call yourself 'Agent Neko' or 'Pussy'. But 'Mr. X'?"

"Are you even listening to me?" Mr. X asked, calm, but irritated. Ryuta stares back at him rather snidely.

"I'm sorry, were you still talking to me?" Ryuta used the bottom handle of the device to scratch his head while placing his empty hand behind his back, "I got lost on the 'has been' part of your speech and assumed you were talking to someone else."

Mr. X sighs and turns to face where the helicopter is, "Explaining it to you now would be a waste of time. It's best that I take you back to Central where the leader is being held. Once you observe his flaws, you will understand what EBA is trying to prove to you."

"Either this country spends their entire life dancing, or your scanner's in need of a major tune up," Ryuta said. Mr. X looks to the left to see the wild-haired Ouendan crouched a foot away from him, pointing the scanning device at a squirrel, standing in front of him and chewing on an acorn. He rests his chin on his hand while swinging the device around, seeing the graphs jump up and down from the antenna being moved to different locations, "Maybe you can make an Agent of this squirrel if you-"

"Do you intend to ignore me when I'm trying to save your reputation?" Mr. X nearly snaps, snatching the device out of Ryuta's hand when he raised it into the air.

"I'm sorry, my English must not be as advanced as Hajime or Anna's," Ryuta said, resting his elbows on his knees while giving Mr. X another snide glance, "Exactly what part of our reputation are you trying to save?"

"Your leader is insane, don't you understand? If you and your friends continue to follow his beliefs, you'll put the entire world in danger."

Ryuta placed his hands on his knees, using them to stand up, "And don't you think you're already accomplishing that by trying to shut us down?" he looks away from Mr. X, placing his hands behind his back, "You keep saying you're trying to save us from going mentally insane. But the way you're setting up these ideas, I can only assume you want nothing more than to shred our pride and force us to see things your way."

"Your leader is encouraging you to rely on an ability that doesn't exist. Your fanbase are people who take advantage of your naivety to get what they want while making up stories to fool you into believing they're pure and innocent. EBA has tried to set you straight by revealing the truth behind your incompetence. But you ignore our warnings, claiming we humiliated you-"

"Because you rigged the competition and made us lose on purpose!" Ryuta snaps, turning to Mr. X, "Was that your idea of 'setting us straight'!? To throw us into a simulation program and alter everything our characters did just so you can exploit what you saw to the Agents, make them think we fooled them into achieving something that isn't real, and convince them to shut us out!?"

"The competition was supposed to show just how incapable you are of actually saving people from their problems when you use methods other than computers to seek and motivate them. Even if Japan relies on you for help everyday, they know that, with your lack of comprehending fact from fiction, you would never be able to save them from situations that threaten the entire planet."

"What about the time that meteor came flying towards our planet!? Did everyone just call on you because your base is more technologically advanced than Ouendan's!? When that giant rock made its presence in our line of sight, everyone, even your own agency, feared for their lives, thinking that nothing would be able to save them from being blown to bits. If you had gone to Japan and talked several citizens, rather than take the words of your monster of a computer, they would've told you just how helpful Ouendan was in saving them from this disaster!"

"The only reason Japan thinks you're a hero is because you claimed you could save them from digging an early grave." Ryuta shook with frustration, "The meteor's destruction came at the true talents of EBA, who did more than just grab the attention of one nation. The entire world has known how powerful EBA is, thus they would rather rely on us for encouragement than some rundown squadron that doesn't even know just how unpromising they are to the nation they were raised to respect."

Ryuta turns his back on Mr. X and throws his fists up while bellowing in frustration, "There you go again! You're jumping to conclusions while looking for excuses to avoid admitting that most things and life can't be uncovered by the use of a computer!" he threw his arms down and twists his upper body to glare at Mr. X, "Do you love them so much that you can't even run your own life unless they told you to!? If they told you that genocide is the only way to save this planet from stress and anxiety, would you automatically believe it and order your Agents to destroy everything that breathes!?"

"Computers have an eternally expanding knowledge of capabilities that far exceeds that of the normal human body, something your leader failed to understand when he began spiraling down the path of insanity," Mr. X said, "True organizations understand the pros and cons of using computers to run their duties, making sure to hire technicians skilled enough to seek those cons and prevent them from ever coming into-"

"That's two strikes already, Oibore!" Ryuta said, "Your Agents understand what it takes to prove their reliability to the world! And if they hear something that sounds interesting enough to add to their list of talents, they'll do what's necessary to study and obtain that ability!" He points at Mr. X, "But you refuse to accept everything that doesn't follow along the lines of common sense! You dis organizations who use cheaper methods to gain peoples trust, then do everything you can to shut them down when your Agents accept whatever supernatural abilities they have to offer!"

Mr. X frowns as Ryuta turns his back on him and crosses his arms, "Do you think you can actually fool us into believing you were doing all this just so you can make us see the light!? You hated our alliance ever since Twist and Twirl returned to Japan with the abilities we taught them. They then began relying less on your emo-machine and more on their hearts, making your hatred turn to fear; thinking the entire agency would eventually abandon you in favor for our methods."

Ryuta's frown tightens in bitter anger, "You must've been so relieved when Twist and Twirl disappeared off the face of this planet. With them gone, it would've been easy for you to control the curiosity of the new Agents and make them think that physical talent and computers are the only ways to gain the trust of the American Community."

"Don't you dare say that!" Mr. X seethed, "Twist and Twirl are the most sensational Agents in EBA! You have no right to think we would go as far as leaving them for dead just to keep a worthless organization like you out of our hair."

"Oh no?" Ryuta snorts, eyeing Mr. X, "Then how come I can sense hesitation flickering within that large spirit of remorse whenever I mention your happiness in seeing them gone? Like those of us who've known Twist and Twirl a long time, you were overwhelmingly devastated when they were sucked into that storm like dust mites to a vacuum. But at the same time, you were happy for this anguishing blow. Now you don't have to worry about them bringing us into the picture whenever the new Agents look up to them for inspiration. There was only one problem keeping that door locked and barring us from coming in contact with your agency: Jonouchi."

Mr. X throttled his fists as Ryuta closes his eyes, "The day he joined, everyone believed he was special, an Agent whose performance was so invigorating, it could make even the most anatomic creature want to smile and dance. And with that mindset, he strived to be just as inspirational as his senpai, almost to the point where they became friendly rivals. He was so anxious to find Twist and Twirl that he decided to give spirit seeking a try, hoping to locate and bring them back."

Ryuta eyes Mr. X again, "You panicked when you found out his daily routine involved long hours of meditation. You knew he would eventually find the key and open the door that locked us out, so you began breaking his concentration by relentlessly throwing missions and exercises at him, reducing his sessions down to three hours a day."

"Agent J was devastated by the news of our missing comrades," Mr. X said, "EBA only wants him to understand that what he's doing is interfering with his duties rather than help them along. But you and the rest of the Ouendan keep encouraging him to continue, claiming if he did, he would've been able to find Twist and Twirl. We will not allow him let his talents waste away by letting you further meddle your way into our affairs with such nonsense."

"You just don't get it, do you!?" Ryuta growled, turning to Mr. X, "My god! Hasn't it occurred to you by now why Twist, Twirl, Jonouchi, and Spin continue to believe they have the ability to see people's spirits from whatever range they're on!? Do you really think that, just because computers are believed to be the future of mankind, everyone will automatically uncover the meanings to their life just by going to Wikipedia everyday!? Not everyone thinks like you do, and the entire world isn't so virtually insane that they would rely on intergalactic technology to do their biddings without even having to get up and do it themselves!"

"I'm well aware of how people think and what goes on in the world. It's you and the rest of the Ouendan who are too lost in fantasy to realize that computers are the only realistic way to seek and help people, as well as train to enhance performance and reliability."

"We use computers to play video games and surf the web, not throw in a bunch of whacked features and rely on it, hand and foot, to tell us who to trust! That kind of devotion is what gave a convicted felon like J-Yama the right to do whatever he wants without so much as a slap on the wrist!"

"J-Yama is a good soul and a generous man," Mr. X said, "He tried to run for mayor to make the people of Tokyo happy, only to be arrested for no reason. There have been no criminal records, or reasons for his arrest, which led us to conclude that the officials stopped his campaign out of sheer hatred and obsession with his opposing rivals."

"You just struck out, Oibore! He's not only succeeded in convincing you to destroy Ouendan, but he's also found out just how easily he can keep you out of his schemes to shut us both down! He knows that if he continues to be friendly and helpful, he could get you to believe anything! He even made you punish your own Agents by claiming they were bullying him whenever he tried to be friends with them!"

"The Agents don't trust him because they saw him as a prisoner when he first showed up. But they will shed all suspicions once he uses his talents to crush your squadron and prove, once and for all, just how infeasible you really are."

"The only thing you'll accomplish is further shredding our pride while attempting to force your Agents to believe your eyes rather than their own experiences!" Ryuta turns his back on Mr. X again, placing his fists behind him, "The worst you could accomplish is further pissing off Kai with your sleazy attempts to shut us down. If you so much as think about altering a binary code against him, he'll find out and become monstrously enraged."

He reaches his left arm up and rubs his index and thumb along his sideburn, "Then again, he's already reached that point after spending the entire day being pushed around by your so-called 'traumatized' newcomer. He could've easily snapped those wires with the flex of his muscles and rampaged around the base, showing everyone just how pissed off he really is. I'm surprised I could keep a cork on that temper." He brings his left hand in front of him, staring at a string of hair he pulled from his sideburn, "I'd hate to see what happens if I decide to pull that cork. I don't think even Hajime would be able to calm him down once I do."

"You're bluffing," Mr. X said, "A leader must be strong, observant and defensive to his organization. The one you call 'Kai' has a rhythmic energy of level 1, which is considered the highest, strongest level on the meter, and was the only one who observed Chieftain's performance. You, on the other hand, only acknowledged Chieftain's presence once and went about your day like it was normal. Not only that, you didn't bother to show up and save your two teammates when J-Yama went to apprehend them, further distinguishing the fact that you are not the Ouendan's true leader."

"And you figured this out just by what you saw and heard within the last several hours?" Ryuta smirks, turning to face Mr. X again, "You knew about the plane crash a week ago, but didn't bother to think that, maybe, we were on that plane and had already seen your Agents in action." He began walking towards Mr. X, "And didn't it occur to you that the reason J-Yama was able to capture Kai and Hajime so easily was because he got to them first before I was even aware of what was going on?"

"It didn't matter what I heard or saw. The fact is, you cannot be the true leader when you're energy is five times weaker and you neglect to protect your followers from whatever danger they put themselves in."

"There's more to being a leader than just strength and willingness to protect those who join us. They also need to maintain their dominance, especially when it comes to making decisions that affect the squad." Ryuta stops a few inches from Mr. X, "Now I admit Hajime tends to put himself in danger behind my back, and Kai has a habit of throwing his weight around with enough tenacity to pin me to the floor. But even he can't go as far as what a true leader would call mere child's play." He stretches his hand behind him, "Such as..."

The moment he trails off, Ryuta swung his arm across, smacking Mr. X's mask. The looseness of the head caused it to spin around until it stopped with the face turned backwards. The classified Agent muffles a yelp as he grabs and turns his mask back to the front, noticing that Ryuta was no longer present.

Mr. X stood there, dumbfounded before looking down at the device he used earlier to record Ryuta's signature, finding a dot moving deeper into the park. Muffling a growl, he rushes off after the signal, hoping to catch up to the Ouendan leader before he tried anything.

* * *

"So this 'osu' thing," J said as he, Spin and Hajime sat around one of the tables in the mess hall, "If you knew this was the only way to prove just how important you are, why didn't you use it sooner?"

"It wouldn't even out much of the competition," Hajime said after swallowing a shrimp wonton from a small bowl of soup, "The character I cheered for wasn't programmed to respond to anything other than performance. And even if it did, he would've still tampered with the program to make me lose."

"Well, couldn't you use your combined spirit to keep the character out of the Commander's hands?" Spin asked.

"That's not how it works. Ouendan can only transfer their spirits to those who call for us. What they do with it is up to them; even when they do accept our aide, they have the right to sever our connection at any time. We force our spirits onto people only in an act of retaliation when facing a situation where options are limited. And besides, the competition was created by Kahn-sama, so even if I could break his control, he'll still have other commands that'll reprogram the character and make it do whatever he wants."

Spin rests his elbows on the table, looking at his folded arms a moment before looking back to Hajime, who continued eating his soup, "Hey, Haji, how come ya haven't taken Kai and left yet? I know you've been in this base before and figured out every route to get back into the city. So why start a goose-chase that ended with you gettin' recaptured?"

J then noticed the badge strapped to Hajime's neck, "I think it has something to do with the badge on his neck." Spin looks at the gold button as well.

"Whoa! I didn't notice! Is it some kind of trackin' device?"

"Must be, since all badges come with a homing chip to keep tabs on our location."

"But...couldn't you just remove it?"

"I tried," Hajime said, tugging on the badge, "But I couldn't get it to budge. The strap must've been made with the same material that's used for seatbelts or something."

"Huh," Spin mutters before grabbing the badge with both hands, "Here. Let's see if I can get it off." He tugs on the strap several times, but only succeeds in pulling Hajime towards him, "Wow! You're right! This thing's tough!"

"Let's try extra hands," J said as he walked over to Spin and grabbed the badge, "On three..."

"THREE!!" Spin shouts as he and J pull the badge one way while Hajime grabs the table and pulls away from them. The trio strain a minute before Spin and J lost their grip, sending all three to the floor.

J was the first to scramble back onto his seat, catching his breath, "Forget seatbelt material! It's gotta be something else!"

"It must be super strong material," Spin groaned as he pulled himself back onto his chair, "I doubt even the entire agency could rip that thing off. But why would J-Yama wanna tag you like some kinda wildebeest?"

"Why else?" Hajime asked, sitting back down and picking the small bowl of wonton soup, "When he caught Jonouchi trying to nurse me back to health, he realized he could use me as Plan B in case he can't get Kai to open up. By strapping the badge onto my neck where I can't see it, he hopes I'd blindly grab Kai and run off while my moves're being recorded in EBA's database. Wherever I stop is where the rest of the squad would've rendezvoused, which could be the restaurant, my grandparent's house or the hotel Kai's currently staying at. If he terrorizes any of those locations, not only would he force us to submit to his will, but credibility to EBA would've been reduced drastically, if not more, by those who witness the event."

"Man! I can't believe J-Yama would go this far just to tear our organizations apart!" Spin growled, leaning back in his chair, "Isn't there any easier way of straightening out this disaster before it gets worse?"

"The only thing I can think of is your parents," J sighs, rubbing his temples. Hajime compresses his lips, after swallowing another shrimp wonton, and morosely sips the chicken broth from his bowl, "But with them gone, that chance's pretty much torn up."

"Hey! No worries, J!" Spin hypes as he gets up and walks over to Hajime, leaning against the backrest of his chair, "We've got a pro right here who can tell us where Mom and Pop are, eh Haji!?"

Hajime suddenly drops his bowl and spits out a mouth full of chicken broth in shock. Spin jumps back in surprise as the rookie Ouendan slaps one hand on the table and covers his mouth with the other, coughing madly.

"You mean they haven't told you!?" Hajime gasps between coughs, shooting a horrified glance at Spin.

"Told us what?" J mutters nervously. Hajime heaves a sigh and rests his elbows on the table, staring at the bowl he dropped. The two immediately felt worry and sorrow pulse in his heart.

"W...wait a minute..." Spin squeaks in shock, "You don't really think..."

"I don't..." Hajime mumbles, balling his fists, "...I know..."

"You...you know...?" J mumbles in overwhelming shock, "How...?" Hajime paused a minute before crossing his arms and leaning against them.

"Have you ever had that feeling where your bloodstream runs so cold, you start crying for no reason?" he asked. Spin and J glance towards each other before the rookie places a hand on his chest and looks at it.

"I...I might've..." he mutters, "On the day of the accident, I was takin' a nap in my room 'cause it was stormin' outside and I didn't have a whole lot to do to kill time. I then had this nightmare that my Mom and Pop were caved under a pile of debris just before a stronger storm destroyed the cruise they rode. They was nearly torn to shreds, most likely from the impact of the stuff that fell on top of them, and hardly had the strengths to dig themselves out. Their last words was 'set them boys straight'... Then everything goes black and I wake up. Just like you said, my veins were so cold it not only ached, but caused my eyes to well up. Spent the rest of the night spillin' tears and tryin' to believe that what I saw was just a crazy nightmare."

"I'm afraid it wasn't a nightmare..." Hajime mutters, eyebrows twitching, "That feeling of coldness, along with the uncontrollable urge to weep...is our heart's way of telling us that someone close to us has died..."

"Died!?" The two Agents yelped in shock.

"So...that thing they said before..." Spin mutters.

"...was a promise Ouendan made before the two left on their anniversary trip," Hajime finishes, "Your parents had three different parties, one from you and the neighbors, another from EBA, and the last from us. We didn't want to make them feel overwhelmed, so we settled for just sitting around and reminiscing on the past while asking if they had any resolutions for the future. They talked about wanting to bring you onboard and worked out a step-by-step process of fitting you in. At the time, EBA was still trying to adapt to the changes involving their new recruits, which could make the transition difficult. But Twist and Twirl had an idea for smoothing out the process. They trusted our experience with worldly affairs more than they did EBA's, so they wanted us to whip you into shape and teach you just how serious cheering for the world really is. It was a small step towards showing our potentials, but it was enough to get us excited that we would be part of this process. We even joked that we'd whip the entire agency into shape if anything happened to the two before the new Agents felt ready to take care of themselves."

Hajime balls his fists, one grabbing his sleeve while the other a clump of the table cloth, "That night, we had that nightmare, and felt our hearts crying in vein. This blow not only severed the only friends we made in EBA, but any chance of the agency witnessing the full extent of our power. Six months we spent in the shadows, watching as everyone tries to cope with the angst of losing their most respected allies, while your Uncle shatters everything in an attempt to turn you in another direction. It wasn't 'til you showed up in Japan with the Divas that the promise we made to your parents was no longer a joke...it was a vow!"

The dining room became silent as Spin and J continue to stare at Hajime, mixed in bewilderment, shock and horror over what they had just heard.

"I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, Jonouchi..." he sighs after a moment, "That time when you could only sense spirits by touching someone...you were completely devoted to mastering our technique so you could at least be sure that Twist and Twirl were still alive somewhere. I was afraid if I told you then, you'd be too distraught to want to continue." J furrows his eyebrows a bit as he tries to grin.

"Well...of course I'd be singin' the blues sooner or later," he chuckles weakly, "But even if someone had told me what actually happened, I wouldn't just stop at where I was three months ago." J reaches over and threw one arm around Hajime while leaning the other on the table, "Hell, if I plan on being just as inspirational as Twist was, I'd have kept going 'til I felt the spirits of another galaxy."

"Yeah, man!" Spin said, slapping his hand on Hajime's shoulder and shaking it, "Whatever Mom and Pop left outside Death Row, we'll just pick it up and use in their place. No need to think we'd be all down in the dumps over the cycle of life."

Hajime stares at Spin and J a bit in surprise before sighing in slight relief and looking down at his arms again.

* * *

Ryuta jogs along the wooded area of Brooklyn Park, maneuvering around every tree that came into view. Though breathing heavily from the energy he put into keeping up his fast pace, he remains stern and focused. Halfway down the park, he notices an orange object falling towards him and grabs it before it hits the ground. He comes to a sliding halt, staring down to find a basketball in his hands.

"Hey you! The guy with the whacked hairdo!" shouts a voice. Ryuta eyes the source, seeing a large basketball court taking up 15sqft with thick trees surrounding the four sided, wired fence. Six boys occupied the court, three looking urban, wearing red, hooded sweaters, baseball caps and shorts, while the other three looked like rich boys, wearing white vests over blue shirts and navi-blue shorts.

"How about doing the Uptown Boys a favor and give us back our basketball!?" one of the rich boys demanded.

"Yo, we got here first, 'Uptown Dumps'!" one of the urban boys spat, "You're just scared because the Downtown Boys'll tear you a new one before you even have a chance to weep!"

"No way, dude!" another Uptown Boy spat, pointing at the Downtown Boy who spoke, "We were the ones who got here first! You're just scared that you'd get beaten by our brains and brawn!"

"Shoot!" another Downtown Boy scoffed, "If you had any brains, you'd realize that basketball ain't a rich boy's game! Now beat it before we tear up your expensive little outfits!"

"What was that, ghetto white boy!?"

Ryuta watches in annoyance as the two began throwing derogatory remarks at each other before sighing and bouncing the ball.

"This is ridiculous," he grumbles as he catches the ball and sticks it at his side. He prepares to leave when he felt a familiarly strong jiving spirit walking towards him and eyes the source. The boys stop verbally attacking each other upon hearing the sounds of rustling grass, looking towards Ryuta to see Mr. X emerge from the shadows of the trees, his gaze completely focused on the only person outside the gate.

"Hey! It's Mr. X!" one of the Downtown Boys squeaked.

"Mr. X!?" another Uptown Boy yelps, "But doesn't he only appear when one or more Agents are caught in a competitive situation with no way of deciding who to help!? What could he be doing out here when there's barely any EBA members in need of his assistance!?"

"Maybe he came here to tell us who has the right to own this court!" Another Downtown Boy smirks.

"Oh please! Everyone knows the Uptown Boys got here first! You're still tryin' to avoid getting hammered by our mad basketball skills!"

"What basketball skills!? You couldn't throw a paper wad into a garbage can if you were crouched down in front of it!"

The Uptown Boys turned back to the Downtown Boys, "You asking for a world of hurt!?"

"Ooooh, I'm shakin' in my sneakers!" The Downtown Boys pucker while pretending to be helpless little girls, "What'cha gonna do, kill us with science!?"

The two returned to their verbal war as Ryuta groans in frustration, holding the basketball on his right side and rubbing his temples.

"Alright, that's it!" one of the Downtown Boys growls, "You asked for it! We're settling this battle with a three-on-three match! Best 2 outta 3 gets full rein over the court!"

"Fine!" The Uptown Boys spat, pointing to Mr. X, "And since the Elite Beat Agents have already graced the soon-to-be-ours court, we will be using them to help us win this battle!"

"No way, Uptown Chumps! We saw him first! He's dancing for us!"

"I dance for no one!" Mr. X said. The two teams shot a horrified glance towards him.

"What!? But you gotta!" The Downtown Boys cried, "That's why you're here, isn't it!?"

"I only dance when there is an Agent who can't decide which team he should cheer for. And since there is no Agent out here, I won't be used to scare away any opposition."

"Gee, that's funny," Ryuta snorts as he tosses the basketball onto his finger and spinning it, "You help Agents feel better about who they cheer for..." he then swaps languages, "**Yet at the same time you control them as if they were robots programmed to trust and obey you.**"

"I already told you, EBA is only looking out for the wellbeing of their members and the people they were tasked to encourage." Mr. X seethed.

"**A fine way of showing it when you try to get rid of everything that they learned and experienced, defile any organization that doesn't work like you, and worse, bring aboard someone who uses you as a barbwire fence to keep them back; all because you rely on nothing but your computer to run your life!**"

"He says he's an innocent man, and as long as our computers say it's true, that is what EBA believes, thus we will do what is necessary to keep him safe from your blind interventions."

"Exactly my point, Oibore!" Ryuta retorts, dropping the basketball onto his hand, "You accept nothing more than the aide of computers to tell you who to trust, who to help, and what to do to improve on everyone's talents! You even use it to force everyone to believe an organization that uses methods other than computers is no more helpful than organizations that do!"

He points at Mr. X, "Now it's our turn to open your eyes and make you realize that all organizations don't have to rely on digital technology to prove how reliable they are to the world! And this time, you won't have your precious computer to save you from the true power of Ouendan!"

End Notes:

1. The reason Daai-Rat and his giant brother refered to Meowzilla as "Nayaragon" is basically poking fun at how several overseas shows tend to change the names of the characters to help lessen the confusion between audiences, and avoid certain copyright infringments.

2. I apologize if the whole "Computer vs. Supernatural" plots tend to sound too out of character on Kahn/Mr. X's behalf. I just figured he was so confident about the power of computers that he believes nothing else would be able to help work an organization that uses song and dance to save people.

3. Oibore means "Senile old man" in Japanese.


	20. Episode 20: What Lies Within

Episode 20: What Lies Within

"Stop this at once!" Mr. X demanded, "You'll only bring more distress to this country!"

"I'm only doing what's necessary to break that thick skull of yours and get you to realize just how different everything is to what you've been taught since childhood!" Ryuta snaps, "You've humiliated us once already, and I'm not about to stand by and let you defile my squad anymore than they've already suffered!"

"When will you understand that EBA's victory over the competition was a wake up call to how incapable you are of doing this planet some good when using feeble beliefs to run your lives! Are you so confident that you're abilities work that you consider everything we tried to show you a stab of humiliation!"

"You expect us to wake up after what you did to make us lose! You even had the galls to admit you altered the program of the holograms, then convince your Agents to stop pursuing something only you would think is unreal!"

"We only used the holodeck as a harmless way to showcase our talents. Using real competition when we know the truth behind your flaws will only devastate those who chose you to be their motivator."

"You chose the holodeck because you were afraid Ouendan would've used our victory to continue something you've been trying to stomp into the ground for three and a half years! You knew there was a one to five chance that your Agents would've lost to us, thus giving us the right to continue passing our ideas to the agency and making them less dependant on your methods of seeking and helping people! Your only chance of drilling your views into your Agents' head and make them kick us out is to use the holodeck! With it, you can easily manipulate the environment you set up, make Ouendan lose, and finally prove just how weak we are compared to an organization who thinks they're special just because they have computers to do everything for them!"

Ryuta points to the Uptown and Downtown Boys who now look between the two in confusion and worry, "Now we're going to play things my way! Out in the open where you can't have access to your computer to alter everything around you, and new people who don't give a flying hoot just how domineering we are! This time, the differences will be settled with no reset button and no cheat codes to save us from any outcome we can't beat!"

"You're making a mistake!" Mr. X growled, "If you declare a competition here, you will only destroy the dignity of the team you choose to encourage while allowing their opponents to further defile and shred their dreams!"

"Not while I have something that can assure them complete trust in my abilities!" Ryuta said before throwing his fist towards the Uptown Boys and shouting at the top of his lungs.

_**OSU!**_

In an instant, the entire Uptown team felt a sudden rush of confidence and ambition burn within their hearts. Their eyes literally burst into flames as they throw their arms up and shout a battlecry in excitement.

"Sweet man!" one of them shouted, "I feel like I can do anything!"

"Yeah! Let's crush this competition!" another said.

The Downtown Boys shuddered at the sight of their rivals jittering with ambiguous anticipation.

"Wh...what's goin' on!" one of them yelps.

"I dunno!" another stutters, "All that guy did was shout somethin' and the Uptown Dumps just exploded with confidence!"

Mr. X frowns behind his Meowzilla mask as Ryuta stares at him with little to no emotion whatsoever.

"This is Ouendan preparation," Ryuta said, "One we couldn't use three months ago because of your inability to realize just how serious some organizations can be despite not having digital technology to help them along! And unless you plan on ditching this competition and shattering the trust of the opposing team, I suggest you take your microphone out and start dancing, Oibore!" he finishes by taking the basketball he held by his side and tossing it over the fence where it lands in the Uptown Boys' immediate territory, signaling the start of the competition.

Mr. X continues to frown as he reluctantly reaches into his pocket and takes out a microphone similar to that of the rest of the Agents, waiting for the cue to perform as Linkin Park's "Numb" starts playing on the loud speakers standing on the four corners of the fence.

Once the moment arrived, the two strut off in their usual style of performance, Ryuta busting cheer moves rivaling that of Hajime's performance, but less aggressive than Kai's, while Mr. X does his own moves, almost surpassing the stylish steps of Chieftain.

The two boys, meanwhile began fighting for control of the ball; the leaders of the Uptown and Downtown Boys having their hands all over it and struggling to yank it out of one another's hands.

_I'm tired of being what you want me to be  
Feeling so faithless lost under the surface  
Don't know what you're expecting of me  
Put under the pressure of walking in your shoes  
_

The Uptown Boys take possession of the ball, the two grabbing their leader's ankle and pulling him into the air. Angling him towards the basket, they bend down and launch him into the air.

_(Caught in the undertow just caught in the undertow)  
Every step that I take is another mistake to you  
(Caught in the undertow just caught in the undertow)_

The Downtown Boys freak and jumped into the air, trying to cut off his passage, but the momentum was too great and he managed to land a slam dunk while plowing his oppositions to the floor.

"Marvelous!" they shout as they high-five with both hands. Mr. X continues to frown at Ryuta who does nothing but focus on the competition before him.

The Downtown Boys immediately jump back up and point at their opposing team, "It's not over yet!" they then rushed towards them while picking up the ball and continuing their fight for control of the court.

_I've become so numb I can't feel you there  
Become so tired so much more aware  
I'm becoming this all I want to do  
Is be more like me and be less like you_

The struggle continues up until the Downtown Boys take possession of the ball and climb onto each other, the one holding the ball being the very top. They make a mad dash for the hoop, yelling and preparing to slam dunk their goal.

_Can't you see that you're smothering me  
Holding too tightly afraid to lose control  
Cause everything that you thought I would be  
Has fallen apart right in front of you  
_

The Uptown Boys panic from the height of the stacked Downtown team and try to tackle rush them only to get knocked over by the collapsing stack. The Downtown Boy holding the ball lands a slam dunk into the hoop while their opponents stare in shock at the sudden loss. Ryuta frowns in slight frustration as he shouts "Osu" again, causing the Uptown Boys to jump back up, yelling with ambition and charging towards their victorious opponents.

"Enough of this horseplay!" they shout, grabbing the ball while continuing towards their opponents.

_(Caught in the undertow just caught in the undertow)  
Every step that I take is another mistake to you  
(Caught in the undertow just caught in the undertow)  
And every second I waste is more than I can take_

_I've become so numb I can't feel you there  
Become so tired so much more aware  
I'm becoming this all I want to do  
Is be more like me and be less like you_

One of the Uptown Boys sticks a device onto the ball and uses a remote to send it flying around the Downtown Boys. Befuddled, they began rushing after the ball, trying to grab it only to have the ball fly out of their hands the moment they come within inches of its rubbery surface.

_And I know  
I may end up failing too  
But I know  
You were just like me with someone disappointed in you_

The leader of the Uptown Boys grabs the ball after a few minutes and makes a flying leap towards the hoop. The Downtown Boys try to tackle him only to get plowed to the ground again by their exhaustion from running around earlier, allowing him to land another slam dunk.

"One more before the finale!" the two teams shout as they rush towards each other again.

_I've become so numb I can't feel you there  
Become so tired so much more aware  
I'm becoming this all I want to do  
Is be more like me and be less like you_

The ball eventually flies out their hands from the scuffle and hits the hoops, rolling around the metal rim while slowing to a stop. The two wait anxiously until the ball lands into the hoop, causing both to freak.

"No way!" they shout, staring at the scoring board to find a 2-2 score, "It's a tie!"

The two glare at each other before pointing.

"Rematch tomorrow, Downtown Dumps!" the Uptown Boys growled.

"Yeah! That way you won't have anyone giving you motivation!" the Downtown Boys spat. They gave themselves another glare before storming off the court.

Mr. X stares at the scene before him as Ryuta calmly walks by without giving him another glance.

"Why don't you take a moment to let this all sink in before finalizing your theories, Oibore," he mutters, "Maybe then you'll understand why Ouendan takes themselves seriously." He continues onward, not looking back at Mr. X, who continues to stand near the court, the mask hiding any physical expressions.

But then again, Ryuta didn't need to see his face in order to know just how befuddled the so-called "Mysterious Agent" is...

* * *

The double doors open to a pitch black room, revealing the graph-like squares of the floors, walls and dome-shaped ceiling. J-Yama waltz into the room, a dim, lavender glow surrounding his features. He stops in the center of the room, twitching with each snicker he spouts; his eyes wide and blood-shot; his pupils so dilated, what color representing his humanity was barely an inch from disappearing from view.

Lavender sparks trailed from his feet, spreading throughout the floor and crawling up the walls and ceiling. A few seconds passed before the place in which he stood on turned into asphalt, expanding at a rapid pace. Sidewalks rolled out like a carpet, while lampposts and buildings rose from the asphalt, all baring billboards of J-Yama's grinning mug. Storm clouds surround the simulative skies as lightning flashed a purple color, and thunder roared like an inhumane beast from hell.

"**It's almost time...**" he sneered hoarsely as he raises his arms to shoulder level, "**Soon...the world I dreamed will become more than just a program in this holodeck... Everyone...everyone will treat me like a king, worship the very ground I walk on, and pave me with so much riches, I would need a bigger vault in order to hold them all. And this time, there will be no one to stop me from achieving what I so gratefully deserve, for they will witness beforehand what happens when they try to dethrone me!**" he finishes with random spouts of laughter before rearing his head back and unleashing a flood of them.

* * *

Ryuta wanders along the public docks near East River, hands behind his back. He soon stops when he feels a giant, feral spirit move through the ocean. At first, he passed it off as a whale passing by before noticing some rather large bubbles trailing towards the docks, and frowns in annoyance.

"Please tell me you're joking..." he grumbles, seeming to sense it was someone, or something, familiar. Just then another familiar spirit approaches him at rapid speeds. Darting his head towards the streets, he catches the EBA convertible screech to a halt near the sidewalk.

Mr. X steps out and walks towards Ryuta, the mask once again hiding any physical emotions. However, the lead Ouendan sensed anger burning within his calm spirit, indicating that one of his worse fears was about to be revealed.

"So, J-Yama was right..." Mr. X mutters angrily, "That shout...it was a trigger to some kind of mind control that led the cops into arresting him for no reason. That must explain why most of my Agents favor your methods over EBA's."

"Why am I not surprised you'd reach that conclusion!" Ryuta growls, turning to Mr. X, "Considering he came from Japan and knows a lot about Ouendan, it wouldn't be hard for him to come up with stories to further drown you in his lies!"

"He's not the one drowning EBA in lies! It's you and your squadron; using your little trick to force innocent people into gaining your trust, while filling them with lies to keep them relying on you! You just gave EBA another reason to shut down your squadron for good!"

"Are you so freaking ittetsu that you look for excuses to avoid believing your precious masterpiece can't solve everything for you! It's a miracle you haven't thrown out your Agents because of their hatred towards J-Yama!"

"The Agents hate J-Yama because you force them to just like you did the Japanese Community! You knew J-Yama would've revealed your true colors; therefore, you deceived everyone into believing he was telling lies. The only way to free them from your evil grasp is to challenge each member of your squad and exploit your weaknesses. When they see that J-Yama has been telling the truth, they will tear your squadron to shreds, forever condemning you as an organization who tries to gain its trust through ruthless force."

Ryuta's face twitches in frustration, "Is this how you raise and protect your agency and the people who rely on it? Disembowel rival organizations just so you can make everyone believe nothing but your points of view and methods!"

"All rival organizations rely on computers to seek out people worthy of encouragement, making them more trustworthy than organizations who use trickery and lies to gain trust." Mr. X began walking towards Ryuta, "Thanks to J-Yama's intervention, your deviant tricks will no longer work in forcing me and the rest of EBA into accepting your petty alliance. Once we record your true talents through competitions in the holodeck, we will broadcast them to the every nation on the planet, showing them just how feeble you are, and teaching them the true meaning of reliability!"

Just as Mr. X had neared Ryuta, a giant, blue paw shoots out of the East River, sending water raining down on them. A minutes passes before it makes a descent towards them. Ryuta grits his teeth as he catapults from where he stood and tackle pounces Mr. X, sending themselves skidding down the docks just before the paw slams down inches from where they were.

Another minute passes before the giant blue rat emerges from the river, gasping so loud, the entire foundation shook from the vibration of his vocal cord.

"**LAND!**" he exhaled, flopping his head on the dock while lolling his tongue, "**I thought I'd never see it again!**"

"**You and me both, Nii-chan!**" Daai-Rat hacked, laying flat on his stomach along his older brother's shoulder. He then glances to Ryuta and Mr. X before squealing and pointing to the latter, "**There he is, Nii-chan! There's Nyaragon!**"

"Uh...what!" Ryuta mutters in dumbstruck as the giant rat turns his glance towards Mr. X.

"**You're kidding...**" he mutters as he reaches towards the two. Ryuta tries to knock the paw away only to have his arm grabbed by the index and thumb, and flung to the side of the convertible. The giant rat then grabs Mr. X by the back of his coat collar and hauls him off the ground towards his viewpoint, "**This is Nyaragon? I imagine he should be a thousand times bigger than this...and less formal!**"

"**Maybe he's Nyaragon's little brother!**" Daai-Rat pipes up, bouncing his fists onto his older brother's shoulder.

"**Ah, yes! That makes sense! Then maybe if I hold onto him, his big brother will come along to try and rescue him!**"

"What's the meaning of this!" Mr. X snaps, trying to break free from the giant rat's grip, "Is this another trick created by the Ouendan!"

The giant blue rat's eyes turn blood-shot red as his grip on the guardrail increases to the point of crushing it, "**DID YOU SAY OUENDAN! THOSE TOO-GOODY CHEERLEADERS ARE THE REASONS MY REPUTATION AS #1 DANGEROUS MONSTER HAS BEEN SHATTERED WHEN THEY ENCOURAGED A NOBODY SALARY MAN TO TAKE ME DOWN!**"

"**You tell 'im, Nii-chan!**" Daai-Rat exclaims, "**I have no clue what he was saying, but I don't like how he mentioned Ouendan!**"

Ryuta grits his teeth as he watches the scene in front of him. He jumps to his feet and throws a fist towards Daai-Rat, shouting "Osu" at the top of his lungs. Spontaneously the human-size rat freaks out and grabs his giant brother around the cheek, digging his claws into his eye duct.

"SCARY!" he screamed while shaking uncontrollably.

"**ACK! NOT THE EYE! NOT THE EYE!**" the giant rat squeals as he flings Mr. X away from him and struggles to pull his little brother off. In the midst of their panic, he accidentally releases his grip on the guardrails, sending both back into the East River.

Mr. X crashes into the backseat of the convertible as Ryuta jumps into the front, grabbing the key still in the ignition and turning it over, causing the engine to roar before coming to life. Not wanting to wait for the cat-headed Agent to reposition himself, the Ouendan leader slams his foot onto the gas peddle, sending the convertible speeding off down the road.

The giant, blue rat shoots up from the East River, the water only waist high, as he glares at where the convertible was driving from. Daai-Rat laid limp on his shoulder, dizzy from the ordeal of being startled, then pulled under by his giant brother.

"**Ouendan!**" he squealed, "**What's an Ouendan doing in America! They should still be in Japan!**" Growling, he stomps onto dry land and chases after the convertible.

Ryuta felt the tremors increase more than the car was giving off seconds before feeling an enormous, highly raged spirit catching up from behind. Looking to the front view mirror, he sees the giant blue rat stomping towards him at monstrous speeds. Muffling a growl, Ryuta presses further on the gas peddle, causing the convertible to speed up and move ahead of the rat.

"**Get him, Nii-chan!**" a fully recovered Daai-Rat roots, throwing his fist into the air. The giant rat growls a mouse-like growl as he lifts his foot and sends it flying towards the convertible.

Ryuta yelps before jerking the stirring wheel to the right, causing the convertible to veer in the same direction. Increasing his growl, the rat lifts his other foot and sends it towards the convertible only to have the driver jerk the stirring wheel in the opposite direction, pulling it away from him.

Mr. X stumbles to a sitting position, grabbing the backrest of the driver's seat as he attempts to stay situated.

"This has gone far enough, Ouendan!" he snaps, "I demand you stop this vehicle at once!"

"Oh, of course, O Great Leader of Wisdom!" Ryuta spats, sarcastically, not taking his eyes off the road to glare at Mr. X, "I'm just going to ignore the fact we're about to be trampled by a giant rat to comply with your demands and orders!" he jerks the wheel to the left, avoiding another foot, "I don't know which is bigger, your stubbornness or the holes in your mask!"

The giant rat flails his fists about, squealing in frustration. He then rears his foot back and swings it towards the convertible. The impact with the rear tailgate sends the entire vehicle flying halfway down the block before crashing, hood first, into a fire hydrant, knocking it off its screws and sending water flying over the all but destroyed structure like a fountain. Luckily, the airbags deployed just before Ryuta planted his face into the steering wheel, while the airbags in the back nearly trap Mr. X by the waist.

Ryuta coughs in exasperation, using the steering wheel to push himself back. The water from the hydrant drenched his hair, causing the bangs to cover his face while his topknot dropped to a high ponytail. The minute he pushed off the steering wheel, a giant, blue paw snagged around him from the shoulder down and tears him from the convertible, bringing him up to the giant blue rat's enraged snout.

"**I'm gonna make you pay for all the humiliation you gave me three years ago!**" the rat snarled, increasing his grip on Ryuta as he shuts his eyes and trembles from the strain, "**Any last words before I crush you like a can of cheese wiz!**"

"**J...Just one...**" Ryuta grunts before rearing his head back and screaming at the top of his lungs.

_**OUENDAAAAAAAAAAN!**_

The giant blue rat squeals in pain of the loud volume before sticking the index finger of his free hand into his ear and rubbing the ring out.

"**That hurts, you sonova...!**" he snarled, about to crush Ryuta when two voices shouted "Osu". Daai-Rat squealed in fright and grabs his brother's eye duct again.

"SCARY!" he cries while shaking in fright.

"**WAAAAAAAAAAAAH! NOT AGAIN!**" the giant rat yells in pain. He throws Ryuta into the air while scampering away, trying to get Daai-Rat to let go of his face.

The Ouendan leader feels a quartet of hands catch him as he dives towards the gravel covered roof. He opens his eyes to see Saito and Suzuki almost stooping over him, Suzuki holding his back while Saito had his legs.

"You're late!" Ryuta complained, "What were you doing!"

"**Dinner crowd's coming in,**" Suzuki began, "**Oji-san needs you back at the restaurant to quell the uproar.**" Ryuta groans as he placed his hands on his head and shook the water out of his spiky hair.

"Already!" he grumbled, leaping off Saito and Suzuki's arms and heading over to the edge of the building, finding the convertible no longer near the fire hydrant.

"**What shall we do about our 'Mysterious Agent'?**" Suzuki asked.

"Let's worry about him later," Ryuta said, heading to the elevator shaft, "I doubt, even if he still holds a misunderstood grudge against us, he wouldn't do much with the other Agents too aware of the actual truth to listen to him."

* * *

Chieftain runs into the Command Room, looking frantic. He sees Kahn's chair turned towards the monitor as it replayed the competition between Derek and Hajime three months ago.

"Commander!" he yelps, "We've got a...!"

"Tell them it can wait," Kahn said sternly, "I want all Agents gathered and sent to the Command Room. There are some matters that must be discussed concerning what J-Yama said about the Ouendan."

"Yeah... About J-Yama..." Chieftain said, clearing his throat rather hesitantly, "I don't think we'll be able to find him anytime soon."

"I've already located his whereabouts. He's in the holodeck, probably practicing his steps for the competition ahead."

"Somehow...I don't think he even cares whether or not we find the Ouendan."

Kahn turns to face Chieftain, "Why's that?"

Chieftain points to the door, "I think you should see it for yourself..."

Kahn frowns in confusion as he follows Chieftain down to the holodeck, seeing the Divas standing outside the open doors, a look of horrific confusion on their face.

"What's going on?" Kahn demands as he shows up behind them. The three female Agents turned to face him.

"Commander!" Missy mutters, "We were going to the holodeck to play around...and this happened!"

Kahn looks past the Divas seeing the doors had become an entrance into a dark, scary looking city. The sky had a giant, disgusting looking eye with a purple pupil serving as the moon. Each time it blinked, black clouds dispersed throughout the atmosphere, lavender bolts crawling around it. The buildings were hard to make out; all looked like large, square pillars with no windows.

Several billboards dot the inner part of the city, all showing pictures of J-Yama stooping over the world with the banner "Serve Your God" written overhead.

"What is the meaning of this!" Kahn mutters in bewilderment.

"Looks to me like our new comrade isn't as 'troubled' as he was a week ago," Chieftain grumbled in frustration. Kahn's frown tightens as he barges into the holodeck, looking around the dark streets until he found a building that wasn't as identical as everything else.

It was the largest in existence, full of lavender lights and crawling with lightning. A banner stood over the door in purple, and flashing with lights, that read "J-Yama: God of Forever". Kahn heads into the building, seeing several screens taking up the entire, dome-shaped room. The rest of the room was bare of everything...except for a rather large, red futon in the center surrounded by various, satin pillows.

"Commander...! How nice of you to come..." rasps a voice. Kahn looks upon the large futon to see J-Yama sitting among the pile of pillows. Behind him is a fox-faced woman with blonde hair and silk cloths covering her chest and thighs. The woman stroked J-Yama's shoulders as though he were a pet.

"What is the meaning of this, J-Yama!" Kahn demands, "What is with this city of darkness?"

"What do you think, Commander?" J-Yama rasps, his eyes wide and diluted, his lids wrinkled from the restless insanity, "I saw your battle with Ouendan. You saw their true power, thus, they have succeeded in turning you against me..."

"No! What you saw was a misunderstanding! I saw for myself who they truly are!"

"Then that means they told you everything about me..." Kahn's frown increases in confusion, "I had hoped you did not see their true powers, knowing you would automatically change your views of me... It seems Lady Luck is the only person who understands the trouble I am in..."

"J-Yama, whatever it is the Ouendan has done to you and other members of the Japanese Community, you no longer have to worry!" Kanh retorts, "I have a way to stop them once and for all!"

"Like hell I would believe you!" J-Yama shrieked, standing up on the futon, "You could be lying to me so I would drop my guard and be forced back to prison! I am not stupid! I know you saw Ouendan's true potential; therefore, you know just how seriously they take their reputation! And, therefore, you can no longer help me achieve the goal that I want!"

J-Yama threw his arm into the air, causing the screens to rain bolts of lightning around Kahn. Startled, the EBA Commander stumbles out of the building and back into the streets. He gazes up at the giant eye, which widens as an inhuman roar fills the air. The clouds it dispersed fired more bolts of lightning, forcing him to continue running until he plowed through the holodeck doors and back into the hallway of EBA Central.

"Commander! Are you alright!" Starr yelps as she, Missy, Foxx and Chieftain crowded around Kahn, who dropped to his hands and knees, breathing heavily with fright and exhaustion.

"I tried to tell him..." he mutters, "I tried to tell him what I saw...but he claimed I sided with the Ouendan and chased me out..."

"I always knew he didn't have enough skills to pay the bills," Chieftain grumbles, looking towards the dark city inside the holodeck, "But I never thought his dark secret would be that big."

"No," Kahn said, getting up, "He's scared because the Ouendan forced us into a competition outside Central. He thinks they put us under their control and made them believe he can't be trusted."

"No, you are the one who is scared, Commander," said a voice. Everyone turned to see Kai standing at one end of the hallway. Hajime, Spin and J stood around him, looking neutral. It seemed apparent that they were responsible for freeing the large, Ouendan chief from his confinement.

Kai's frown tightens, "You knew your computer messed up long after you made J-Yama into an Agent. But you did not want to admit it, especially with us wandering around America, because you knew if you did, you would give us the right to continue helping your Agents expand their trust to the world while turning them against your methods. You did not bother to think that your Agents would still continue to rely on you for help and advice; you just assumed they would stop relying on computers to tell them where to go and who they're going to be helping."

"He's right, Commander," J said, "Just because we can sense spirits doesn't mean we know where they are. Why do you think Twist and Twirl continued to attend your briefings even after they mastered the ability to sense spirits from anywhere on the planet? They aren't psychic or anything, they just have a better chance of knowing the truth behind the people they help before they decide to take action."

Kahn continues to glare at Kai before the entire base shook. Everyone but the large Ouendan nearly fell over as a variety of tearing and breaking began to sound from the holodeck. Turning to the door, they saw the dark city vanish as debris fell from the ceiling. The Divas and Chieftain ran inside to find a line of holes leading to an opening through the ceiling.

"It has begun," Kai said, eyeing the window of one of the quarters. Spin, J and Hajime followed his gaze, seeing, what appears to be, a mess of computers, wires and other electronic equipment rampage through the streets.

"Whoa! What's goin' on!" Spin exclaims in surprise.

"Looks like whatever J-Yama has just tore every electronic equipment in Central and glued themselves to his body," J mutters, "He's really must be desperate to get rid of us!"

"Aw, man! This' whack!" Spin pipes up, "If everyone finds out the equipment came from EBA, they'll be too scared to call on us anymore!"

"Not only that, but if he reaches Japan, everyone there will know who he is under that junk and blame Ouendan for this disaster." Hajime grumbles, "Thus, he'd get exactly what he wants; world domination without either of us being around to stop him."

End Notes:

Yes, ironically enough, Suzuki's supposed first name, Ittetsu, means "stubborn" or "inflexible".


	21. Episode 21: Combining Forces

Episode 21: Combining Forces

"Aw man! There's just no end to this!" Spin yelps as he and the remaining occupants in the base, save Morris and Derek, crowd around the large monitor in the Command Room. A large, stick-figure like mess of machines was all that remained of the mayor/prisoner/would-be Agent. And it seems that, the more he continues to wander around the city, the bigger he became thanks to the cars being torn and sucked into its exterior.

"This' bad!" Missy moans, "If we don't do something to stop him, the entire city'll be reduced to a barren wasteland!"

"That's if the people don't mistake him as a member of EBA and reject our aide," Chieftain grumbles, "After all, why would anyone want to call on an organization that caused something like this?"

"We gotta do something!" Starr complains, "If nothing else, we should just run out there and stop J-Yama without having to wait for someone to call on us!"

"But Morris and Derek aren't back yet!" Missy mutters, "And we can't get a lock on them to rendezvous!"

"Then we'll just have to look for them the old school way!" J protests as he heads out of the room. Everyone watches as Kahn sighs and stares at the monitor some more.

"To think he could outsmart us like this," he mutters, "Trick us into siding with him despite the protests of those who saw more to his misdeeds than mere insanity."

"It is not your fault, Commander," Kai said, "That rock J-Yama carries has managed to befuddle both our organizations, confusing us and toying with our method of trust. Not even the Ouendan would've brought themselves to do more than just claim what they believe to be true."

"But what is true is the thoughts floating around his head," Hajime mutters, "After what happened two years ago when we were called to help his opponent win the election, while hoping to stall him until the police caught on and arrested him just before it ended. Even if he knew the laws and broke them out of greed, the aftermath of his arrest left a taste in his mouth so bad, he would do close to anything to wash it out."

"Well, that's a pretty big mouthwash he's used to wash that taste out," Spin mutters as they continue to watch the disaster on the monitor.

* * *

"I still feel bad about leaving our kids at home without much of a warning," mutters a woman as she walks down the sidewalk. She had brown, wavy hair, and wore a white sweater over a t-shirt, light-pink, knee-high shorts, and gray shoes. Next to her walked a man a few inches taller than her. He had black, short hair, and wore glasses, almost matching Hajime's, a brown coat over a black vest and white shirt, brown pants, and black shoes.

"This is our time off, dear," he said, "Time away from kids and other common activities. You should loosen up a bit and enjoy the vacation while you can."

The woman sighs, "Yeah, I suppose you're..."

They were cut off by the ground shaking and people running around them, screaming hysterically. Looking to the source of the flooding escapees, they see a giant stick figure made of various machines stomping towards them, a maniacal laughter filling the air.

"WAI! Look! There's danger coming this way!" the woman laughs excitedly.

"You know what that means, dear!" the man asks as the two exchange looks of excitement.

"You have no idea how much I wanted to do this!" the woman laughs some more, "And since our son or his friends aren't here, we won't have to worry about them feeling left out!"

"Well, what're we waiting for! Let's do it!" the man yells before the two cuffed their hands and scream at the top of their lungs.

_**HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAALLLLLLP!**_

* * *

"I'm gonna shoot a guess that that dumbstruck, annoyed look on your face means you know those two?" Spin asks as he stares at the said dumbstruck, annoyed look on Hajime's face after catching a glimpse of the couple's screaming mug on the monitor.

"Your parents are very...helpful," Kai mutters with a sweatdrop sliding down the left side of his otherwise expressionless face. Hajime groans and drops his head and shoulders.

"Define helpful!" he complains.

"Well, they're the only chance we have of wiping the dirt off both our good names," Kahn sighs, "A lucky thing J has already left. It would most likely cut the time we need to prepare for our next mission."

"But that's if he can find Morris and Derek before things get worse," Foxx said, "And with those electromagnets surrounding J-Yama's body, the entire radar's mucked up, giving us little clue as to where the disaster is or if everything's taken care of."

"You're forgettin'!" Spin pipes up, "J doesn't hafta use radars to find what he needs to get started! He's got somethin' else to help him!"

Kahn remains silent before sighing, "Then let's hope he can put that 'something' to good use. It's the only thing that's going to save us from this disaster now."

* * *

J-Yama continues to laugh maniacally as he trudges through the streets, watching as people ran in fear for their lives.

"**Yes! Fear! Fear your new God!**" he yells, "**Once you realize no one can help you, you will soon bow down before me and treat me with the respect I deserve!**"

Just as he had finished his demands, the car speakers surrounding him came to life, busting out a song that blew a hole where he hung. The other speakers surrounding the exterior also sprang to life, but didn't cause as much damage to the mechanical figure as what occurred inside. J-Yama grits his teeth as he looks around to figure out what was going on.

Meanwhile, the couple that screamed for help beamed with excitement as a black convertible drives through the area seconds before three figures jumped out and landed on the sidewalk adjacent to where they were. Morris and Derek stood on either side of J as he pulls out his license and presents it to the two.

"Help has finally arrived!" he calls out.

"And not a moment too soon, I might add," Morris chuckles.

"Yeah, so let's get down and boogie!" Derek calls out.

The three began to dance and sing to the beat of 3 Doors Down's "Kryptonite" as the couple began running from J-Yama letting the Agent's energy flow into them and give them fuel to contemplate a strategy.

_I took a walk around the world to ease my troubled mind  
I left my body laying somewhere In the sands of time  
I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon  
I feel there is nothing I can do  
Yeah_

The couples ran down the path as J-Yama tramples after them, seeing them as a thorn on his side. They soon ducked into an ally, causing the crazed Agent to turn and follow. The collision with both corners of the building shaved several machines off his legs, causing the rest of the body to crumble to the floor in a massive heap on the other side of the ally way.

_I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon  
After all I knew it had to be something to do with you  
I really don't mind what happens now and then  
As long as you'll be my friend at the end_

J-Yama struggles to untangle himself from the mess of wires that had now bound him to the pile, yelling out Japanese profanities. The couple watched a few seconds before another thunderous shake grabs their attention. Behind them is the giant blue rat and his little brother, Daai-Rat, stampeding towards them in a rage.

"**I'm gonna find those blasted Ouendan and make them pay for humiliating me three times in a row!**" the giant rat snarls.

"**You said it, Nii-chan!**" shouts Daai-Rat, "**And then we're gonna find Nyaragon and challenge him to a monster brawl to prove just how tough you are!**"

The Agents heard the couples cry in shock and looked up to find the head of the Giant Rat stomping through the streets on the other side of the ally. The buildings obscured any chance of them getting to the couples to continue their performance, leaving the Agents momentarily hung-up as they ran back to the convertible to drive around the city.

The couples, meanwhile, scramble from the path of the rampaging Rat, panicked and worried about their chances of escape. The Agents were taking too long catching up to them and they fret being trampled if nothing was done to give them more encouragement. As the chase wore on, it was almost certain that this mission would be a complete failure, until...

_**OSU!**_

The instant the word hits their ears, an ambiguous, burning feeling fills their hearts as they come to a stop and turned to face the two monster rats. The Agents' convertible pulls up to the scene in time to see the couples tear apart the machines that was once J-Yama's transformed body. They blink in confusion before J senses confidence and looks towards the other side of the street to see Saito, Ryuta, and Suzuki taking up most of the sidewalk, pulling off their moderately skilled Ouendan moves to the next verse of the song.

_If I go crazy then will you still call me Superman  
If I'm alive and well, will you be there holding my hand  
I'll keep you by my side with my superhuman might  
Kryptonite_

The couple managed to construct a crude, sumo-shaped war machine out of the parts taken from the crumpled pile in the ally. Using the front seat of a car as their control panel, the man turned the ignition, causing the machine to jostle before stumbling to its feet and turn its attention to the giant rat, who stares at them in intimidation.

"**RAAAAAH!**" he roars, "**Those Ouendan are gonna pay for this when I find them!**" he tries to attack the machine only to have his fist caught by a crane used as the arm. The arm then twists and sends the giant rat spinning into the air before crashing into some trees in a nearby park, sending several of them tumbling to the grassy dirt.

_You called me strong, you called me weak, but still your secrets I will keep  
You took for granted all the times I never let you down  
You stumbled in and bumped your head, if not for me then you would be dead  
I picked you up and put you back on solid ground_

J-Yama snarls in overbearing rage as he springs to his feet, the wires wrapped around him stretching as he increases his grip on the glowing rock in his hand.

"**I will not be deprived of my ambitions!**" he yells, "**I will destroy anyone who opposes me!** **ANYONE!**"

His entire body glows as what little parts were left over from the pile crowd around him, bring him back to his monstrous appearance. Though three feet smaller than before, it was still a menace to be reckoned with. Both Agents and Ouendan watch the insane man charge towards the couples still operating the large, human-like machine, with the giant blue rat scrambling to his feet and making the same pursuit.

The Ouendan ran across the street to join their American counterparts.

"Let's put an end to this nightmare!" Ryuta said.

"Yeah!" J agrees as the two cross arms in alignment, "Time to show everyone what true motivation is!"

_If I go crazy then will you still call me Superman  
If I'm alive and well, will you be there holding my hand  
I'll keep you by my side with my superhuman might  
Kryptonite_

Using the combined force of the Agents' dancing and the Ouendan's cheerleading moves, they continue to fuel the couple's burning desires and fighting spirit. Believing they could handle two monsters at a time, they began driving their own machine around, locking fists with the giant, blue rat and the munchkin-like remains of J-Yama's super monster.

After struggling for a few seconds, the heroic monster threw both fists down, sending the two opposing monsters crashing into each other. J-Yama's messed up contraption spills all over the giant blue rat, causing him to get tangled up in the wires wrapped around him.

"**Let go, you stupid piece of junk!**" the rat snarls.

"**You let go first!**" J-Yama complains.

The rat growls in anger before glaring at the couple and their giant fighting machine, "**RAAAAAAAAAAAAH! I'M GONNA KILL YOU FOR THIS!**" he charges towards the couple, throwing his claws into the air. J-Yama continues to pull at the wires around the rat, trying to free himself from this disaster waiting to happen.

"This is it!" the woman exclaims excitedly.

"Time to end this!" the man yells as he drives the machine towards the tangled up monsters.

_If I go crazy then will you still call me Superman  
If I'm alive and well, will you be there holding my hand  
I'll keep you by my side with my superhuman might  
Kryptonite_

_YEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!_

_If I go crazy then will you still call me Superman  
If I'm alive and well, will you be there holding my hand  
I'll keep you by my side with my superhuman might  
Kryptonite_

The heroic monster withdrew its fist and flings it at the rat, slamming square into its snout and sending it, and J-Yama, flying into the air until they vanished into the horizon. The citizens below yelled and cheered while the couples chuckled and rubbed the back of their heads in bashful shyness.

The Agents and Ouendan, meanwhile, stood in the far back of the quickly forming crowd, watching as their combined efforts saved themselves from an early retirement.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Japan, two police officers were driving along the early morning streets of Evening City when something crashed into some trees in a nearby park. The two nearly drove their car into a lamppost out of shock as they leapt out and ran to the falling leaves, seeing a pile of machines dangling on a branch. They then heard yelling and screaming and looked up to see J-Yama thrashing about, his body glowing every time he swung the hand holding the meteor piece.

"**Hey! Isn't that the guy we arrested two years ago?**" the chubby police officer asked.

"**Yeah...I think he is...**" the tall, skinny officer mumbles, "**Last I heard, he was still locked up in the penitentiary for destroying half of the prison cells trying to escape.**"

J-Yama screams again before glaring at the two police officers, "**You will not put me back in that hellhole! As soon as I get out of this mess, you will all bow to me!**"

The officers looked at each other befuddled.

"**That's it,**" the chubby officer said, "**He's definitely lost his mind.**"

"**Yeah, we should send him to a psyche ward for his problem.**" The tall officer said.

J-Yama's anger increases, "**You will do no such thing!**" he brings up the meteor piece as it glows brightly in his grip, "**As long as I have this gift that Lady Luck has given to me, you won't even look at me like I was crazy!**"

The split second he finished his sentence, a giant, blue blur lands on top of him, crushing him to the floor and making him drop the meteor piece. The two officers stumble back, seeing the giant blue rat tangled up in a gigantic ball of wires, his eyes turned to swirls.

"**Mama, I don't wanna go to school today!**" he whines dizzily, "**I wanna stay home and steal cheese with you!**"

J-Yama grunts as he wiggles his upper body out of the blue rat's rump, seeing the meteor piece laying a few feet from him. He grunts, trying to reach for it only to have Daai-Rat fall, rump first, on top of the glowing rock, crushing it to tiny pebbles, the glow vanishing after a few seconds. The former Agent screams in more agony as the human-size rat stumbles to his feet, swaying around in a daze.

"**Look, Nii-chan!**" he slurs, seeing small blocks of cheese circling his head, "**We just landed in a cheese factory!**" he began running around in circles, trying to chase the cheese while J-Yama drops his head and cries in agony.

The two cops just stood in their places, completely dumbfounded by the entire scene.

"**What just happened, Joe?**" the chubby cop asked the tall cop.

"**I dunno, Dan,**" replied the tall cop, "**But we'd better do our job if we don't want to get fired!**" he runs ahead of Dan, who continues to stand in his place and look around him, focusing on the bawling J-Yama as Joe threw the cuffs on him, then Daai-Rat, who's still running around in circles trying to catch the swirling blocks of cheese, and finally the giant blue rat.

"**I think we're going to need bigger cuffs for that guy...**" Dan mutters nervously.

* * *

"You're letting them go!" Chieftain nearly exclaims late that afternoon in the command room of EBA Central, "I thought you were going to shut them down for getting in our way!"

"You saw what they did, Agent Chieftain," Kahn said as he watches the combined effort of Ouendan and EBA encourage Hajime's parents to fight off J-Yama and the rat brothers, "Granted what the Ouendan do is visually cruel and unacceptable. But after what they displayed earlier when they saved us from an early retirement, I began to understand why Japan didn't stop calling for their aide."

Chieftain muffles a growl as he crosses his arms and looks away, "I still don't trust them! There's no telling what they could be doing that would get us into trouble!"

Kahn sighs and turns his head to Chieftain, "I understand they shattered your pride thrice before. But you shouldn't let those humiliations keep you from dishonoring their trust and responsibilities. There will be a time where even you will have to rely on them to get you out of a jam; and I'm worried they might go to great lengths to do so."

Chieftain snorts and sharply turns to the door, "I don't need some amateurs saving me from anything that could trip up my steps! And I DEFINITELY do NOT need a gang of Japanese school boys going out of their way to muck up my duties!" He then storms out of the door, leaving Kahn to sigh again and rest his elbows on his desk, placing his lips upon it.

"You say that now..." he mutters, "But when that time comes, will you finally understand just how serious they are in connecting the puzzle of our organizations?"

* * *

"So what's gonna happen now?" Spin asks as he and J wandered down Manhattan the next morning. The two were wearing their usual outfits; Spin his unbuttoned Ouendan outfit while J wore his leather jacket, jeans and turtleneck sweater, "I doubt the Commander would still believe the Ouendan would be as serious about using their methods to lift people's spirits as EBA is."

"He may not be quick to jump on the whole spirit thing as we are," J said, "But at least now he won't think all organizations have to work like EBA, and allow us to learn whatever methods we find interesting." He places his hands in his pocket and looks at the moving pavement, "I'm worried about that Doumeki guy, though. When the Commander released him, he just stormed out of Central without looking back."

"Well, wouldn't you do the same if you was snatched off the streets and spent nearly two days bein' interrogated by someone who think you was lyin'?" Spin rhetorically asked, "I'd pretty much up and leave myself if I was in his elevated sandals. And since he got the worst of the outcome, I have a feelin' he'd be as hard to gain forgiveness from as Chieftain."

"I guess J-Yama really got what he wanted for the most part," J mutters in frustration, "To send us at each others throats no matter how many of us have come to trust one another."

"It ain't entirely our fault, J," Spin retorts, "J-Yama had the Commander's complete trust, and was usin' him to barricade us from gettin' to Kai. I'm sure, if anythin', he won't try and hold us to that incident."

"Still," J sighs, "We should've done something to stop this from getting worse. And now that the damage's been done, I'm not sure if he'll ever be able to understand why we couldn't do anything to save him."

Spin sighs and rubs his chin in thought before snapping his fingers, "I got it! K-san's plannin' to build a dojo deep in the Adirondack Mountains. Maybe if we help him set up, he won't look at us like the worst enemies on the planet!"

"Where?" J asked, "Adirondack Mountain is a huge landscape. Even with our range of senses, it could take us days to find him."

"Already taken care of, J!" Spin laughs, "Ryu and the others wanted to hook up with us for a little bit of hang time. I'm sure they won't mind bein' our human radar in seekin' K-san out and takin' us to him!"

J looks towards Spin, nervous still, but then loosens up in more thought, "Well...if you think it'll help... So, where're we meetin' them?"

"I told 'em they could lounge in my crib 'til we get there."

J immediately stops and gave Spin a glare so hysterical, he didn't need to take his shades off to show it.

"You what?" he exclaimed, "That's like telling them to go jump in a river of lava!"

"Take a breather, J!" Spin yelps, throwing his hands up in defense, "I already told them how bad my apartment is!" He then scratches the back of his head, "Though...maybe I should tell them to watch out for Bertha. She don't like strangers messin' with her fridge."

"Bertha...?" J gulps.

"You...don't wanna know. She does make a great rattrap, though I'd have to put up with the rodents screaming for mer...uh J? Y' still with me?"

At this point, the once calm and collected BA-2 Agent had gone completely pale and was drenched in his own sweat.

"I am NEVER taking my dogs near your apartment again..." he mutters in fright.

* * *

"Room 666?" asked a dull-looking, old woman wearing white apron over a flower dress, "Are you friends of that kid with the large headphones."

"Yes, we are," Ryuta said as he, Hajime, Saito and Suzuki stood at the entrance of the apartment complex. Ryuta had his arms crossed with the other three kept their fists behind their back, "He said we can stay in his apartment until he and another friend arrives."

"Right," the woman said flatly as she turns around, "Excuse me while I get the Mystical Spear of Wetness."

The four look at each other in confusion as the woman comes back a second later and sticks a wet mop in Ryuta's hands. The Ouendan leader stares at it with a dumbfounded frown.

"It's a mop..." he said just as flatly.

"Fine, ruin the dramatic moment," the woman said, "But unless you want to be eaten by that thing in the fridge, I suggest you take it."

"Thing in fridge...?" Suzuki mutters nervously.

"Trust me, its best that you don't know." The woman slams the door to her apartment, leaving the four Ouendan staring at it in dumbstruck silence.

"**Maybe this wasn't such a good idea,**" Suzuki mutters after a while. Ryuta snorts and swings the head of the mop onto his shoulder, sending water flying everywhere.

"Come on, let's go!" he said, walking down the hall. The rest look towards each other, wearily, before following after their superior compatriot.

After going up six flights of stairs and walking down a half block hallway, the four Ouendan finally reach Room 666. They stood in front of the door for a very long while, unsure of what could be lurking inside the apartment.

"**I still think we should've waited outside,**" Suzuki stutters, scrunching his head between his shoulders while holding his fingers in his mouth.

"Oh, c'mon!" Ryuta spat, grabbing the doorknob, "Whatever's inside that apartment couldn't be any worse than the stuff we've been called to fight against."

He turns the knob and pushes the door open, sending it colliding into a stack of CDs and knocking them over. Their first glance into the pigsty of Spin's apartment was met with saucer eyes and dropped shoulders.

"What'd he do! Rent out a junkyard!" Hajime nearly yelps.

"**He wasn't kidding about how messy his apartment is,**" Suzuki muttered.

The quad wad into the room, making sure not to step on the CDs piling the floor. Halfway into the room, Suzuki suddenly screams in fright. Hajime and Ryuta turn to find him clinging to an equally terrified Saito's arms, hugging him to the point of his face turning blue from the lack of air.

"**Something tried to attack me!**" he wails. The two lead cheerleaders stare at him, then the pile he jumped out of. Hajime dug his hand into the pile and pulls out a mutilated rat.

"Relax," he groans in frustration, "It's just a rat...what's left of it."

"That explains the rank smell," Ryuta grumbled, stabbing the back end of the mop onto another small pile of CDs, "His Uncle must have him on a 24hr errand run if he can't find time to clean this place up."

"Not to mention the time he spends over at Central," Hajime said as he began stacking CDs into one corner of the room. Ryuta eventually helped out, stacking more CDs in another area of the room.

An hour into the cleaning process the two heard their cohorts screaming in fright and turn to see them scramble behind Hajime.

"**There's a monster in the fridge!**" Suzuki cries as both he and Saito nearly squeeze the life out of the rookie Ouendan, "**Big, ugly sludge thing with a million tentacles and fangs made of chopsticks!**"

Ryuta gave the two a stupefied look before barging over to the fridge adjacent to the mess they walked into and throwing the door open. He stares into the fridge a second before dropping his head in annoyance.

"Soku ikuji nonai..." he growled before jabbing his hand into the fridge and turning to face the rest of the Ouendan, holding out a white, Chinese take-out box, "You're afraid of a seven month old box of sha che fen!" The two cohorts increase their hold on Hajime, yelling in fright over the sight of the oozing, noodle hanging box.

"**It tried to eat us!**" Suzuki cries, "**Kill it with the Mystical Spear of Wetness!**"

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Ryuta holds the box away from him, his glare increasing, "A squad that faces the might of a meteor, and you're afraid of cleaning out a fridge that hasn't been touched for nearly nine months!"

"And I can see why..." Hajime mutters, starting to show the exact, terrified face as the squad's two followers.

"What is your...!" Ryuta was about to complain when he heard something splatter on the floor. He looks back towards the box to find a slimy, hideous creature with peas for eyes and sha che fen for tentacles wavering behind him, its chopstick fangs dripping unsanitary soy sauce all over the floor.

It stares at Ryuta before bellowing in an inhumane voice.

_**FOOOOOOOD!**_

Ryuta screams in hysteria as he drops the box and scrambles towards his subordinates, turning to see the monster hop towards them. He grabs the mop and thrusts it in front of him like a spear, but no water came out.

"It's dry!" Hajime panics.

"**The Mystical Spear of Wetness has lost its power!**" Suzuki cries as he and Saito hug each other out of fright.

"Now's not the time to panic!" Ryuta exclaims, chucking the mop to one side, "We've got one attack up our sleeves, and the only way to drive this thing back is to not show it your fears!"

The three followers stare to Ryuta before separating and taking formation; Hajime standing next to him while Saito and Suzuki stood behind them. They stare at the foul looking leftover in unnerving determination before thrusting their fists out and shouting "osu" as loud as they could.

The monster froze in place, blinking a few seconds before shrieking at a volume that shattered the windows of the apartment.

_****__**FOOOOOOOOOOOD**_!

The four lean back in fright over the failure of their shout.

"Of course...it'd help if it had ears, a heart and a brain," Hajime mutters shakily.

Suzuki shoots a horrified glance to Ryuta, "Ippongi-sama!" Ryuta straightens, clears his throat and sticks his fists behind his back, holding his head up high as he closes his eyes.

"Well, in situations like this, I believe now would be the perfect time to PANIC!" he screams as he scrambles away from the leering slop before them. The three whip their glances from him to the monster before following his lead and scrambling off after him.

End Notes:

1. "Soku ikuji nonai" means "bunch of spineless/cowards".


	22. Episode 22: Tying Up Loose Ends

Episode 22: Tying Up Loose Ends

"J, will you relax?" Spin grumbles as he and J wandered through the halls of the sixth floor apartment, "You've been to my apartment before."

"Yeah, that's before you began describing everything else that was lurkin' inside!" J mutters, following behind Spin for protection.

"Look, all ya gotta do is not mess with Bertha. It's not like she HAS to know who my friends are so she can look for some way of sautéing them."

"Maybe, but if you knew how dangerous she was, why did you forget to inform the others of her taste buds!?" J asked as he and Spin soon reached room 666.

"I think the mess itself is distracting enough," Spin said, "Besides, they have cell phones. I could just call them up to warn them incase..." he trails off as he opens the door, sending it slamming into a stack of old shoeboxes and knocking them over. The CDs, which once made up the floor, were now stacked to one area between his bed and computer desk, revealing a fine carpet of rat dung and bones. The two stare at the almost clean room in dumbfound silence.

"Um...are you sure THIS is your apartment?" J asks. Spin looks towards the number plate hanging beside the door.

"Yep, room 666," Spin said, staring back into the near empty room, "Look's like they was a lil busy while waitin'."

J walks inside, glancing around the room before noticing the box full of sha che fen laying on the floor near the closet, "Bertha, I presume?"

"Uh...yeah..." Spin mumbles, "Maybe I should've told them sooner."

"Yeah, you should've!" J complains as Spin picks up the mop at the far end of the room, using it to pick up the leftovers, "Lord knows that...thing could've eaten them alive!"

"Ah, don't be such a worrier, J!" Spin carries the box back over to the fridge, pulls the door open and chucks it in, "I bet the Ouendan used that shout thing to scare her back into her box!" he slams the fridge door, "Probably teach her not mess with 'em!"

"Oh really?" J gaits over to the closet, "Somehow, I'm not so sure they were the ones who taught her a lesson in respect."

"What makes you say that?" Spin looks over to J as he pulls the closet door open to reveal four wide eyed, shaking Ouendan crammed inside the half empty shack. Ryuta held a sponge mop while Hajime a broom; Saito and Suzuki stayed behind them with buckets on their heads.

Spin's specks hid his stupefied expression as he skulks over to the closet for a closer look at the once brave cheerleaders. Ryuta was the first to regain his demeanor, looking to J, then Spin before getting up, throwing his arm around the rookie's shoulders, and pulling him towards his face, stabbing the back end of the mop on the floor beside him.

"Next time we schedule a hook up, WE get to choose where to meet," Ryuta grumbled in a not-too-thrilled tone.

"Uh...yeah...sure..." Spin mutters nervously.

* * *

"So, how long do you think it'll take us to find Mr. Doumeki on foot?" J asked as they were heading out of the apartment complex.

"Who says we're walking?" Hajime asked. J and Spin gave him a confused look before seeing him and the other three Ouendan head over to a black hummer. The two Agent's shoulders nearly drop out of their socket upon seeing the black, sleek, off-road vehicle parked on the sidewalk.

"Th...That's yours!?" Spin stutters.

"Well, how else did we get here in less than half an hour?" Hajime asks as he unlocks and pulls the car door open, "My grandparents go on off-roading trips all the time. And since we're going to the Mountains, they figured this would be a faster way of getting around the rough terrain."

"Sweet, man!" Spin laughs as he runs over to Hajime and grabs for the keys, "I wanna drive!"

Hajime yanks the keys away from Spin before he could grip his fingers around them, "After you drove your car into the Hudson River!? Forget it!" Spin scoffs in disappointment as the rookie Ouendan climbs into the driver's seat and shuts the door.

"How did...!?" he was about to exclaim. He then hears J whistling _Comin' 'Round the Mountain_ and glares knowingly at the BA-2 Agent who "innocently" had his back to him, placing his hands behind his head.

* * *

The trip to Adirondack almost seemed like going from one scene to another. In less than three hours of driving through the city, the mixed party of Agent and Ouendan find themselves in a natural setting of trees, lakes and mountains. Staying on the muddy path, Hajime continues to drive while the rest kept an eye out for Kai and the equipment he managed to invest on what little pay he earned over the first few weeks of his stay in Brooklyn.

"Shoot, I hadn't been to the mountains in a long time," Spin whistles, "I keep forgettin' how big them forested areas are."

"Driving around with nothing but our hearts as GPS' isn't going to help us find Mr. Doumeki any faster," J said.

"We could try climbing trees and see which one'll be high enough to get an exact lock on Kai's location," Ryuta suggests. The other three Ouendan nod as Hajime stops the car near one of the trees and cuts the engine. Ryuta, Saito and Suzuki climb out of the hummer and ran to three different trees, jumping up to the nearest branch they could grab and swinging their feet onto it, then leaping to the next branch. The two Agents watch in astonishment at their fast climbing skills.

"Damn, you guys're like leopards," Spin whistles again as Hajime climbs out of the car and heads for the tree beside it.

"When you live on an Island where urbanization co-exists with nature, it isn't hard to find places to train on and strengthen our muscles," he said before jumping up and grabbing the branch nearest him, pulling himself onto it while reaching for the next closest branch to climb onto.

Five minutes pass before Hajime reaches the top of the tree he climbed, revealing the surface of the forest, accompanied by a wondrous view of the mountains bathing in the sun of mid-noon. There were three other trees as tall as his; each had one of the other three Ouendan standing on its branch, gazing at the view around him.

Ryuta, being the furthest from the squad, eventually senses something far from their immediate location. He looks towards the distance of the spirit before turning his attention back to the rest of the Ouendan, pointing in the same direction.

"Y'all see anythin' up there!?" Spin calls out as he and J step out of the hummer and glance up the tree Hajime climbed. It was another five minutes before the rookie Ouendan slips back down on the leaf-covered soil, followed shortly by Ryuta, Saito and Suzuki.

"We're not too far from his location," Ryuta said as he and his two followers stop near the hummer, "Another hour's drive north east should get us to where Kai's setting up. Judging by his relieved spirit, he may have finished gathering the materials he needs to build our temporary hideout, so we haven't missed much."

"Cool!" Spin pipes up, "Let's get goin' then!" the rest nod as they climb back into the hummer and drove off in the direction Ryuta pointed in earlier.

* * *

Kai pulls the lid off a small bottle of mineral water and squeezes the entire content into his mouth, then tosses it into a paper bag beside him. He looks at the stack of planks, boards, large, rolled up sheets of bamboo paper, and two large batteries piled near a large lake, contemplating how he was going to build his temporary home.

His concentration is quickly cut off by the sound of leaves and twigs snapping under the pressure of rolling tires. Eyeing a path separating a family of trees, he sees the hummer approach and stop a few feet from where he sat. The doors open to let out six occupants; four Ouendan and two Agents.

"I thought you were going to hang out somewhere," Kai said, not turning to face the new arrivals.

"Well, what better way to hang than stick around and help you set up your new crib?" Spin pipes up, sticking his hands behind his back and sporting his cocky grin.

"I know you're upset because of what happened yesterday," J said, "And that we weren't able to do anything to lighten the mood. So we figured we pay our respects by giving you some extra hands." Kai's frown tightens as he gets up and heads over to the pile of equipment, "I'm sorry the others couldn't take some time off to come down here and contribute, but-" He's suddenly cut off by the Ouendan chief shoving five stacks of planks into his arms.

J stares at the heavy logs, dumbstruck, as Kai shoves two rolls of bamboo paper into Spin's arm; a bucket of glaze, with a large brush sticking out of it, into Saito and Suzuki's hands; a box of wood tools into Ryuta's arms; and a bucket full of bulky, 5lb nails, complete with a small, metal, 10lb mallet, into Hajime's hands.

"If you are going to help me build this dojo, then get to work," Kai orders, "I want it set up by nightfall."

The small party glances towards each other before the four Ouendan head off to do as told, leaving J to just stand in his spot, still sporting his dumbstruck expression.

"W-was it something I said?" he squeaked.

"Nah, you just caught him in a good mood," Spin said, shouldering the roll of bamboo paper, "If he was anymore peeved, he woulda made us build this crib before early afternoon." J frowns in confusion, as Spin passes him by to join the others in setting up, before sighing in annoyance.

"I'm never gonna get used to this..." he mutters as he heads off to do the same.

* * *

"Max," calls a woman from an apartment deep within the urban city of New York, "Max!"

Max, an orange, chubby tabby, turns to the woman as Alden, a baby of one year, tries to grab his tail.

"I'm going to the market," the woman said, "So look after Alden, okay?"

Max was unsure of the favor the woman asked him, knowing just how troublesome Alden could be, even when his mother wasn't around. The woman then winks, "I'll get your favorite fish too."

At the sound of her bribe, Max's eyes sparkle with excitement seeming to accept the babysitting offer for the reward of a fresh, juicy fish. Not long after the woman leaves, Max becomes engulfed in his daydream, thinking of nothing but fish flying around, beckoning him to chase after them.

Meanwhile, Alden catches sight of a yellow butterfly fluttering towards the window of the living room. Cooing, he patters towards it, pulling himself onto the windowsill and reaching out to grab it.

Max's daydream is quickly shattered at the sound of Alden's squealing voice. He looks out the window to find him dropping like a sack of bricks down the three story apartment towards the construction site next door. Freaked, he makes a dash towards the window only to see Alden being lifted by a crane holding a large beam. His relief was short as he found himself shooting over the balcony and heading straight towards the base of the construction site.

Screeching hysterically, Max falls towards uncertain doom, flapping his arms in fright. Pushed to the brink of his desperation, he quickly bellows at the top of his lungs.

_**MEAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLP!!**_

* * *

J guzzles half a bottle of water a second before pulling it from his mouth and panting for air. His black, leather jacket flung over the backrest, and the sleeve of his turtleneck sweater rolled past his shoulders.

"Guess it was a good thing Kai let you come with us to get his belongings, eh Jonouchi?" Hajime chuckles as he drove the hummer through the streets of Brooklyn. J sat next to him while Suzuki sat in the second to the back row.

"I knew Mr. Doumeki was gonna get back at us for tormenting him yesterday," J groans, "But I didn't think he would go this far!" he rubs his aching, sweat-soaked neck, "Five straight hours hauling planks and nails around? I can't even understand how you can work this long without getting more than a light tan."

"Kai may look like he's too strict to care about our wellbeing, but he does know what he's doing," Hajime said, "Being the last member of the previous squad, he has more experience with what goes on in the world, and knows what it takes to work around it, which makes him as much of a leader as Ryuta, hence the confusion in ranks."

"That must explain the tears in his uniform," J chuckles, "What'd he do, make you dodge planks while doing his laundry?" Hajime hits the brakes, causing the hummer to come to a screeching halt near a stoplight that had just turned red. J blinks from the jolt of the stop and looks over to the rookie Ouendan, noticing he was no longer grinning, "W...you don't think he would really...?"

"If I were you, I'd be thankful Kai even thought of cutting you a break," Hajime said sternly, "We may be the cheapest squadron on the planet but that doesn't mean we can't find ways to improve our awareness and status. And gaining some intergalactic props isn't going to make us feel any more confident about the future. We're always preparing for the unexpected, not matter how minor it may be. From spending months surviving in the wilderness to doing normal activities like chores and strolls around Tokyo; our dojo is built a half mile from a natural, 15sqft wide, 20ft deep hot spring with nothing but volcanic rocks scattered along the bottom and large stones we'd have to climb in order to perch on its blunt surface."

"You even train while you're bathing!? Don't you guys ever get a break?"

Hajime chuckles a bit at J's overwhelmed confusion, "Don't take it the wrong way. It may sound like we do nothing but train between cheers, but there're more ways of strengthening our body and mind without draining large amounts of energy. Contrary to the naked eye, our concentration and status grow from the moment we wake up and step out of bed. We don't realize this simply because neutral, common activities like walking, eating, and talking only strengthen our body at a sluggish pace, allowing unhealthy anomalies to linger in our system, filling our muscles with fat that not only ruin our appearance, but also weakens our stamina; as opposed to doing nothing at all and reducing ourselves to frail skeletons with hardly any strength to even stand on our hands and knees."

The light soon turns green as Hajime continues through the streets, "Ouendan's training is based off three different forms of training; obedience, neutral, and enrichment. With obedience, one of us sets up a form of training that has to be achieved by a set number of rules and restrictions. While enrichment almost falls along the same lines, but the lack of obedience, and the excitement of going all out makes others want to jump in and join the fun. And neutral is everything in between; sleeping, walking, eating, talking; even driving can be a physical exercise since it involves a lot of pushing, twisting and pulling just to make the car move in the direction and speed you want."

"Wow, you seem to have a lot of knowledge for this stuff," J whistles, "No wonder Twist and Twirl respect you guys so much." He looks out the window beside him, "I always thought it was because you could see people's spirits that you could outsmart everyone and still act like nothing fazes you. But I guess you have to start somewhere in order to be this witty."

"We all start out as ordinary people; searching for a reason to live on, ill-prepared for what might happen to us before or after we find that reason. You became an Agent after you heard rumors of their reputation, and believed your talents could be a huge improvement on EBA's goal. My involvement with Ouendan happened by chance. I didn't even know such a squadron existed 'til I left cram school one day and bumped into Kai in the middle of Evening City. If our paths hadn't crossed, I probably would've been like everyone else; a normal kid fixing to get into college."

"Mr. Doumeki seems like a tough nut to crack," J sighs, "I'm not sure how I'll be able to get him to accept my apology after what the Commander did to him yesterday."

"We knew there would be risks in trying to form an alliance with EBA. Afterall, their leader is a man who believed nothing but blatant commonality. He tried to scratch our recommendations off the list, shut us out, even use computers to force us into believing our methods were moot. In the end, commonality backfired and he finally saw us for who we are. Ryuta, Saito, Suzuki and I may've forgiven EBA for their incompetence. But Kai, being the most experienced member of the squad, demands more than just verbal apologies to gain his trust."

J looks over to Hajime, "What kind of...?" he's cut off by a loud, cat-screeching noise coming towards them. Hajime hits the brakes again, screeching the hummer to a halt near a construction site, as everyone clambers to the window nearest the area and looks out to see an orange streak slam into a mountain of bags full of dry cement.

Max slowly rises out of the pile, swaying around as stars circled his dazed head with little Aldens chasing after them.

"That kitty!" Suzuki exclaims.

"Wasn't he with those magicians a few weeks ago?" J asked.

"Must've gotten separated and wound up in someone else's home." Hajime said.

Max shook the stars and Alden illusions from his head as he turns to the construction site to find the real infant of mayhem crawling off the beam after the yellow butterfly, completely unaware of his ascent up the conveyor belt towards the monstrous compressor crushing anything that slid under its square anvil.

"MEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" he screeched in fright before zooming off to grab Alden.

Hajime turns his head over to J, "I think you might have a solution to gaining Kai's respect."

"Hey J!" shouts a voice. J looks behind him to see Morris and Derek pull the car door open and toss his black suit towards him.

"Sorry to break up your time off," Morris began, "But the Commander said you was closest to the call, so he sent us to get you."

J sighs a bit as he looks over to Hajime, pulling his turtleneck off and throwing his uniform on, "Look's like you're going back without me."

"Don't worry about it, Jonouchi," Hajime said, "Kai knows there're more important things to take care of than the construction of his dojo. He'll understand why you went AWOL on your promise."

J remained unsure for a bit, but then nods and climbs out of the hummer, following Morris and Derek into the construction site to begin their mission.

_

* * *

_

A buh-buh buh buh-buh

_A buh-buh buh buh-buh _

Max reaches the bottom of the conveyor belt, looking up to find Alden two stories from the compressor, continuing his pursuit of the butterfly. Panicked, he ran to the nearest structure of beams, using them as ladders to try and get to his one-year-old companion before he reaches the large compressor.

_Buh-buh buh buh-buh  
__Buh-buh buh buh-buh_

Meanwhile, Morris, J and Derek arrive at the bottom of the structure, noticing Max's panicking stampede, and quickly goes to work using their moderate dance performance to grab his attention and encourage him to pick up the pace towards Alden.

_You went to school to learn, girl  
Things you never, never knew before..._

_Like I before E except after C...  
__And why 2 2 makes 4  
__Now, now, now I'm gonna teach you  
__(Teach you, teach you)  
__All about love now  
__(All about love)  
__Sit yourself down and have a seat  
__All you gotta do is repeat after me_

Max scurries across the horizontal beams, jumping over barrels and ducking under low-hanging beams. He pants heavily as he was too short and chubby to be a fast sprinter.

He takes another glance towards the conveyor belt Alden wandered onto, finding him closing in on the compressor, too focused on the butterfly fluttering around him, and too young, to realize the danger he was being pulled towards. Max freaks out and speeds up the pace, flying over and under the obstacles without a second thought.

_ABC  
__Easy as  
__123  
__Or simple as  
__Do re mi  
__ABC, 123, baby you and me girl_

By the time Max reached Alden, he shrieks upon seeing him nearing the compressor. Alden looks over to the jittering tabby, cooing and pointing towards the butterfly as though he was trying to show him what he found.

_Come on, let me love you just a...a little bit  
__Come on, let me love you a...a little bit_

Not wasting a moment, Max zooms past Alden, landing on the anvil and throwing his paws up to catch the compressor before they connected.

_I'm a gonna teach you how to sing along  
__Come on, come on, come on, baby  
__Let me show you what it's all about  
__  
_Jived by the Agent's encouragement and the song of Jackson 5's _ABC_, he manages to halt the compressor long enough for Alden to slide past his impending doom and, with the help of an umbrella he clutched in his hand, glides safely towards the ground.

_Come on, let me love you just a...a little bit  
__Come on, baby let me love you just a...a little bit_

Max begins his tiring descent towards the ground, expecting to find Alden sitting there, waiting to be taken back home, only to hear his squealing voice sound from another portion of the construction site. Turning ever so nervously, he finds him standing on a cart flying up several ramps while still in pursuit of the butterfly.

_I'm-a gonna teach you how to sing along  
__Come on, come on, come on, baby  
__Let me show you what it's all about_

The weary cat screams in fright as he scrambles off after the cart, hoping to stop it before it reaches many of the electrical lines strung throughout the tracks.

_Reading, writing, arithmetic  
__Are the branches of the learning tree  
__But without roots of lover every day, girl  
__Your education ain't complete  
__T-T-T-Teacher's gonna show you  
__(Show you, show you)  
__How to get an A  
__(Nah-nah-nah-nah-nah)  
__Spell "me" "you"  
__("Me" "you", add the two)  
__Listen to me baby, that's all you gotta do_

Max grabs onto the cart once he got close to it, attempting to clamber on and pull Alden off. But just as he swung his entire, chubby body onto its flat surface, a sharp turn on the rails quickly knocks him off. Max yowls in surprise as he grabs the edge of the cart, leaving the rest of his body dragging on the wooden planks of the rails before another sharp turn throws him off.

_ABC  
__Easy as  
__123  
__Or simple as  
__Do re mi  
__ABC, 123, baby you and me girl_

Growling in frustration, Max immediately chases after the cart, trying in vain to get back on.

_That's how easy love can be  
__That's how easy love can be  
__123, you and me_

After a few minutes of a chasing, Max sees Alden's cart nearing one of the electrical wires fenced throughout most of the cart rails. Yowling in fright, he scrambles ahead of the cart, hoping to get in front of them before they reach the wires.

_Sit down, girl!  
__I think I love you!_

Max grabs two wooden planks below the rails, tearing them out and shoving them under the wires, using his height to push it up and allow both Alden and the butterfly to pass under safely.

_No! Get up, girl!  
__Show me what you can do!_

Max pants as he drops the planks and stumbles along the rails, following them to where Alden last ran off to. He once again hears cooing and looks up to find him crawling along the horizontal beams of another area of building structures. Panicked, he rushes off to try and catch up to the troublesome infant before he loses his footing and tumbles to his death.

_Shake it, shake it, baby, come on now!  
__Shake it, shake it, baby, oo oooh!  
__Shake it, shake it, baby, ha!_

Max finds a ladder leaning against the structure Alden crawled around, and uses it to climb up to his height. Having warn himself out on his last two rescues, his ascent up the ladder was not only tedious, but increasingly straining as well.

Halfway up the ladder, the butterfly Alden has been chasing throughout the entire day turns away from the beams. Intent on catching it at all costs, Alden turns around to try and reach out to the butterfly, crawling dangerously close to the edge of the beam. Witnessing this, Max panics and scrambles up the ladder, panting and heaving as the effort continued to drain him of his energy.

_ABC, baby, oo oooh  
__123, baby, nah nah  
__Do re mi, baby, ha!  
__That's how easy love can be_

His effort to reach Alden failed as the infant eventually loses his balance and topples off the beam, falling towards the not-too-soft ground. Max's panic increases as he scrambles to find something to catch Alden with. He eventually catches sight of a roll of rope sitting beside him, grabs it and lassoes the highest beam he could find.

_ABC  
__Easy as  
__123_

Succeeding in tightening the rope around the beam, Max pushes off where he stood and swings towards Alden, using his entire body as a cushion to catch and carry him back to the beam he fell off of.

_Or simple as  
__Do re mi  
__ABC, 123, baby  
__You and me, girl_

While gloating about his rescue, Alden continues to chase after the butterfly, climbing back onto the cart and zooming down the rails. Max quickly catches on, freaks out and scrambles off after Alden.

_ABC  
__Baby it's easy if I count to 3  
__Sing a simple melody  
__(Do re mi)  
__ABC, 123 baby you and me_

Having learned from his previous mistake, Max tries to catch up to the cart from the top of another structure of beams. This new strategy was met by, not only having to keep an eye on Alden, but also making sure he avoided the barrels and low-hanging beams that got in his way. The only thing running across Max's mind at this point is whether or not he'll survive long enough to get Alden back home and receive his reward.

_I'm a gonna teach you to sing it loud  
__Come on, come on, come on  
__Lemme show you what it's all about  
__ABC  
__Baby it's easy if I count to 3  
__Sing a simple melody  
__(Do re mi)  
__ABC, 123 baby you and me  
__I'm-a gonna teach you to sing it loud  
__Sing it loud, sing it, GO SING IT!_

Later that day, the door opens as the woman walks in, shouldering a bag full of food.

"Guys! I'm home!" she calls out. She looks towards the couch to find Max sitting on it with Alden wiggling happily in his lap, "Looks like you guys had some fun."

Max meows happily as the woman reaches into her bag and pulls out a plate full of his favorite fish.

"All you can eat!" she exclaims. Max and Alden bounce around, yipping and squealing at the amount of fish offered to them. The woman giggles as she places the plate on Max's lap and walks away.

_ABC  
__Baby it's easy if I count to 3  
__Sing a simple melody_

As Max prepares to eat his reward, he looks over to Alden, who gives him an innocent look. Grinning, he places his finger on his lips and hissed softly, attempting to convince his troublesome friend not to explain what happened while his mother was out. Alden squeals as though he was disappointed, but remains happy nonetheless. Max snickers as he picks up the fish and begins munching on it, purring at its fresh, meaty taste.

_Do re mi  
__ABC, 123, baby you and me_

* * *

J returns to the mountain area of Adirondack where the construction of Kai's temporary dojo took place. Dusk had just about set in, increasing the shadows forming from the surrounding trees, but he could barely make out a small, dojo-like house situated a few yards from the lake and almost blocking a path into another forest.

There appeared to be no one around, suggesting the job had been finished and everyone parted ways for the night. J sighs a bit; maybe now wouldn't be a good time to bother Kai if he wanted to spend the night alone in his new crib. Slightly disappointed he turns around, about to leave when one of the front doors slid open, exposing some indoor light.

"Where are you going?" asked the shadow that took up most of the flooding light. J turns his head to see Kai standing on the porch with his usual stone face and crossed arms. Before he could speak, the chief cuts in, "Are you not staying for dinner? I know you are hungry from the event that happened today."

J just stood an inch from the rectangular ray of light, baffled by Kai's sudden invitation. It was hard to tell if he did this out of respect or just common generosity. Either way, he seemed pleased by what the BA-2 Agent went through to show his affection, so it only seemed natural to accept the offer than just walking away and thinking things haven't changed between them.

Sporting a cocky grin, J turns around and heads inside the dojo as Kai closes the door behind him.


	23. Episode 23: Pirates, Ninjas, and Agents

Episode 23: A Tale of Pirates, Ninjas, and Agents, the Chieftain Chronicles

One day, in the Renaissance Kitchen deep below the floors of EBA Central, a dispute echoes through the empty maze of tables in the mess hall.

"No way! I'm telling you they're the thieviest thieves on the planet! They can steal anything and manage to get away alive and well!"

"Nuh-uh! They can't steal everything from everywhere! Besides, they're stinky and disgusting compared to the true bandits of the thieving world!"

"They are not stinky! You take that back!"

"Never! I see, therefore, I stand by my word! And there's nothing you can do to make me change my mind!"

Lava whines in frustration as she watches her younger brothers and sisters bicker and bark at each other over their tiring debate. Morris and Derek walk into the hall to find something to snack on. Overhearing the calamity they saunter over to the five dogs, their differentially shaped specks hiding their curious looks.

"What's goin' on here, dawg?" Morris asks. Lava turns her head towards the two, more depressed than she expressed.

"Oh, hi Mr. Derek and Morris," she groans, "Sabin, Vixie, Mecho, and Diablo are fighting over which band of thieves are cooler; pirates or ninjas."

"Pirates or ninjas?" Derek asks, "When did this come up?"

"I dunno! Sabin and Vixie were watching 'Pirates of the Caribbean' on Mr. J's enormous HD TV, while Diablo and Mecho watched 'Ninja Warrior' on Ms. Foxx's laptop! When I asked them which one was better, they got into an argument over it and turned the entire day into shambles!"

"So you need a tiebreaker, eh?" Morris chuckles, "Well, this looks like a job for two men and a pup, don'cha think?"

Lava flips around and wiggles her rump excitedly, "Really! You'll help me settle this problem!"

"That's what we do," Derek said, "Help anyone in need, even if it's just ourselves having a problem. We'll have your brothers and sisters coddling each other in no time."

Lava twirls around, yipping with joy, "Yahoo! Thanks Mr. Derek and Morris!"

* * *

Meanwhile, out in the middle of the blue, wet desert, a large tugboat floats beside a small raft as crewmembers stare down at the pile of bubbles emerging from deep below. A minute passes before Captain Brooke, a shaggy, old man in a wetsuit breaks through the surface, followed shortly by his feathery, green companion of a parrot.

"Did you find any 'treasures' today?" one of the crewmen asked.

Replied the captain with a shrug and a pirate accent, "Not really. But we've got plenty of time."

"Not a penny!" barks his parrot a couple of times. Brooke looks out at the vastness of the ocean, admiring its gorgeous view.

"This ocean just smells of treasure, eh guys?" he asks before throwing his arms up in excitement, "According to my calculations, there should be a mountain of..."

"You dumb sea lover!" interrupts his overbearingly impatient crewmembers, "Three months on this place! AND NOTHING!" they thrust their fingers towards the panicking captain, "WE'RE OUTTA HERE!"

Brooke hesitates as he waves his arms up and down in desperation, "W-Wait! I know there's treasure in these...!" again, he never got a chance to finish as his crew turns anchor and sails off, leaving him and his parrot stranded on their inflated boat.

"Later captain!" they shout as they drift away.

"W-Wait!" Brooke exclaims, "What're we gonna do!" he threw his hands onto his head, screaming in agony, "WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL IS ONE...!"

"Give up, give up, give up..." his parrot moans in depression.

But giving up wasn't the last resort for the swash bucklin', gold diggin' sea lover. He had but one last resort to find the treasure he spent three months diving for. And for that to happen, he need but rear his head and scream at the top of his lungs...

_**HEEEEAAAALLLLP!**_

* * *

"Settle a dispute?" Kahn mutters after hearing Morris and Derek's story. The five dogs surround the two, wagging their tails in anticipation for his answer.

"Well, we gotta start somewhere, right?" Morris asked, "What better way to extend this poll between pirates and ninjas than to start with you, Commander?"

"You're wasting the Commander's time over a stupid dogfight!" Chieftain exclaims as he had just shown up into the Command Room.

"He's right, you know," Lava said, "Mr. Kahn is the bloodline of this pack! We can't bother him over a simple question!" she then turns to Chieftain, wagging her tail, "So maybe you can help us settle this! You're not as busy as Mr. Kahn is, and you look like you have more understanding of the way thieves behave!"

"Yeah, Mr. Chieftain," Sabin yips as the four dogs clamber around Chieftain, "Tell us who's the thieviest! It's pirates right!"

"No! It's ninjas!" Diablo exclaims.

"Say you like pirates, Mr. Chieftain!" Vixie pleads.

"Ninjas are cool!" Mecho barks, "You agree, don't you Mr. Chieftain!"

Chieftain grumbles in frustration, as the dogs began boasting about pirates and ninjas, before stomping his foot on the ground hard enough to cause a small earthquake, causing the dogs to scramble away from him.

"ENOUGH!" he roars, "First off! There is no such word as 'thieviest'! And if my view is the only thing that's gonna shut you up, then I say pirates are better looters than ninjas! They carry more than just swords and knives, and they have the firepower to boot! That makes them better bandits and, therefore, should put an end to this pointless dispute before it gets out of hand!"

"Liar!" Diablo growls, "Pirates are icky and gross! And they aren't as fast as ninjas are!"

"That's right!" Mecho exclaims, "Besides, if pirates were more popular than ninjas, the Ouendan wouldn't have such cool moves to help them along!"

* * *

Ryuta sneezes, accidentally yanking a pot of coffee away from the mug he was supposed to fill and spilling the rest of its content onto the floor of the Italian Restaurant. J cringes as he pushes his seat away from the spill point as it was dangerously close to drenching him in the process.

"Bless you," he squeaks. Ryuta sniffles as he places the pot on the table and calmly walks off to get a sponge mop.

* * *

"How dare you call me a liar!" Chieftain exclaims, "I'll have you know that I've studied the ways pirates steal their loot, and how strong they are compared to a bunch of flimsy, Asian people in black clothing and masks!"

The four dogs continued arguing, this time with the added complaints of the top-class Agent. Lava's tail drops as she looks over to Morris and Derek, muffling a doggy moan.

"If you ever wonder if dogs get headaches, let me be the first to tell you..." she whines.

"And permit me to share that headache," Morris grumbles, rubbing his temples.

"Here, here," groans Derek.

The argument comes to a screeching halt when Kahn loudly clears his voice.

"I may not be able to help much for something as trivial as settling a dispute," he began, "But I can try to lighten the situation by letting you meet a pirate up close."

Sabin and Vixie leap onto Kahn's desk, wagging their tails in excitement.

"Wow! Really!" Sabin howls.

"If it'll get you to agree on something, then I will allow all five of you to accompany the Agents on this mission."

He presses a button and turns around to face the large monitor, watching as it turns into a large picture of Captain Brooke's screaming mug. Sabin and Vixie stare in awe and surprise.

"Wow! A real pirate!" Vixie growls excitedly.

"Yes, and after his crewmates mutinied him, he's called on us to help him find his treasure," Kahn turns his head towards the group standing behind him, "Hopefully, by observing him, you can reach a conclusion we can all agree on."

Chieftain pounds his fist onto his chest, hardly knocking out any wind in the process, "Don't worry, Commander. I shall be the peacemaker that will put an end to this unimportant debate between animals!"

"Let's hope that you do," Kahn said before turning around, arching his arm across his shoulders, "Agents are..." and finishing by facing the group, pointing his finger towards the door, "GO!"

* * *

"WE'RE STRANDED!" Brooke cries as he takes another glance around the vastness of water and sky. Just when all hope seemed lost, a periscope zips through the water towards the raft seconds before a giant, black sub emerged, presenting three Agents, Morris, Chieftain and Derek, standing on top of the hatch. Brooke watches in surprise as they leap onto the base of the sub; Chieftain pulling out and presenting his BA-1 license.

"Your compass to loot has just arrived," Chieftain calls out, "Now get moving!"

Brooke grits his teeth as he looks over to his parrot, the only companion he can depend on, mixed in determination and anxiety, "The treasure's all we have!"

"Get to it! Get to it!" the parrot screeched.

As the two prepared to dive, Chieftain turns his attention to the periscope, knowing the five dogs were watching from inside.

"Sit tight and don't touch anything!" he orders, "This sub will be on autopilot for the remainder of this mission."

All five salute with a chorus of "yes sir" buzzing from their throat devices.

_Young man, there's no need to feel down  
I said young man, pick yourself off the ground  
I said young man, 'cause you're in a new town  
There's no need to be unhappy_

With the Village People's _YMCA_ fueling his ambition, Brooke paddles through the depths of the sea, gazing around for signs of something shiny and valuable. So far, his search turned up nothing but seaweed, algae and ocean life.

When all seemed lost, Brooke caught a large rock in the distance with a mysterious sign that read "Mysterious Rock". Excited, he tore through the currents, breathing heavily into his oxygen tank as the thought of gold ran through his mind.

_Young man, there's a place you can go  
I said young man, when you're short on your dough_

"Davey Jones' locker has something in store for us!" he shouts.

"Davey Jones! Davey Jones!" his parrot shouts.

Brooke eagerly grabs the clump of dirt and shakes it out, feeling something flat and slick underneath, "At long last!"

"What! What!" his parrot exclaims.

The dirt eventually recedes to unveil a large, shiny gold coin.

"GOLD!" Brooke shouts with glee.

"Gold!" his parrot shouts.

Brooke holds the coin up excitedly as he gazes at its antique design, "There's treasure in these here waters!"

"Treasure near! Treasure near!"

_You can stay there, and I'm sure you will find  
Many ways to have a good time_

Brooke notices a thick field of seaweed along the oceanic trench. Lusting for more gold, he moves towards them.

"Where the seaweed is thick, should be plenty to pick!" he declares.

"Pick! Pick!" his parrot chimes in.

Brooke shuffles through the field of seaweed, "There's gotta be something here!"

After much effort, he uncovers a cave entrance with a beautiful mermaid statue holding up a sign that said "Hidden Cave".

"See that!" he exclaims, "A hidden cave!"

"Hidden cave! Hidden cave!" his parrot shouts.

_It's fun to stay at the YMCA  
__It's fun to stay at the YMCA  
__They have everything for young men to enjoy  
You can hang out with all the boys_

The journey through the seaweed wore both Brooke and his parrot out, making their next journey a weary, tiring ordeal. For the next minute and a half, all they could see was darkness and corroded rocks that made the entrance of the cave. Suddenly, lure fish began swimming around them, indicating that something mysterious lurks deep within the cave. Eager to see what that mystery is, Brooke picks up pace swimming through the tunnel at a fast rate and keeping his eye on the direction the fish were coming from.

_It's fun to stay at the YMCA  
__It's fun to stay at the YMCA  
__You can get yourself clean  
You can have a good meal  
You can do whatever you feel_

Brooke's parrot eventually notices something off the roof of the cave. Looking up, he finds a hole leading to an area of light. Frantic, he points to the ray of light.

"I see the light! I see the light!" he shouts.

Not wasting any time, they shoot through the hole to see what it is, not only emerging from the dark waters, but also arriving in a gorgeous glow of crystals surrounding the near area. Another sign appeared near the corner of the cave, marked "Beautiful Cave".

"A crystal cavern!" Brooke shouts with joy.

"Crystal! Crystal!" his parrot copies. Brooke pulls his mask off and gazes at the flood of crystals illuminating the area.

"The treasure is near!" he shrills.

"Near by! Near by!" the parrot chimes again.

It wasn't long before Brooke sees another entrance deep into the cavern, "We're moving out!"

"Yo ho! Yo ho!"

_Young man, are you listening to me  
I said young man, what do you want to be  
I said young man, you can make real your dreams  
But you've got to know that one thing_

Brooke wastes no time in speeding through the cave, wanting to get to the next area before someone else steals his loot. But his loud footfalls and harsh breathing aroused several vampire bats, causing them to drop from the ceiling and clamber around him, trying to bite and scratch him and his parrot.

Scared out of his wits, he scrambles out of the pile panting and shaking in fright. Taking the ordeal into account, he continues through the cave at a cautious pace, making sure not to breathe too loudly or cause anymore ruckus. The continuing swooping of bats made him feel even more nervous as he continues through the pathway towards the next opening.

_No man does it all by himself  
I said young man, put your pride on the shelf_

"WHOA!" they shout in shock and awe as they reached another, less eerie light at the end of the cave. Sitting on the other side of a crevasse is an old, worn down ship, almost beckoning to be picked.

"It's a treasure ship!" Brooke shouts with excitement.

"Jackpot! Jackpot!" his parrot shrieks.

Brooke leaps across the crevasse and lands closer to the ship, kneeling before it's monstrous sight, "At long last!"

"Yeah! Yeah!" the parrot roots.

_And just go there, to the YMCA  
I'm sure they can help you today_

_It's fun to stay at the YMCA  
__It's fun to stay at the YMCA  
__They have everything for young men to enjoy  
You can hang out with all the boys_

_It's fun to stay at the YMCA  
__It's fun to stay at the YMCA  
__You can get yourself clean  
You can have a good meal  
You can do whatever you feel_

Just as the two had uncovered a sealed treasure chest, they hear the sound of bones clacking together. Turning sharply, they find a skeleton in a cowboy hat and underclothes pointing a large saber towards their back.

"Sorry, that treasure is M-I-N-E!" he shrills.

Taking up arms, the two charged towards each other, swinging down as they pass by. Seconds after stopping half a distance away, the skeleton crumbles into a pile of bones as Brooke eyes him victoriously.

"TREASURE AT LAST!" he and his parrot shout and they snatch the chest and hauled it back onto the raft at the surface of the ocean. Brooke raises his twitching hands, anticipating the contents inside.

"What have we got here..." he mutters. He carefully places his hands on the chest and pulls it open, becoming blinded by the large array of gold, jewels and coins filling up the inside, "I can't open my eyes! It's so bright!"

Brightness wasn't the only thing that obscured his vision. Tears spilled down Brooke's cheeks as he pulls out a large clump of money and clutches them within his greedy hands, "I'M RICH!" he laughs happily.

* * *

"Well," Chieftain began once the group of Agents and dogs returned to the Command Room, "I hope our little expedition settled this silly dispute once and for all."

"It sure did, Mr. Chieftain!" Sabin yips, "Now we all know that pirates are better pillagers than those flimsy ninjas!"

"Yeah right!" Diablo exclaims, "That pirate got lucky because Mr. Chieftain was around to encourage him to find the treasure! A ninja would be able to get his loot without so much as a squeak of his split toed shoes!"

"But can a ninja hold his breath while traveling underwater!" Vixie barks, "Pirates are more prepared than ninjas, and it shows!"

"Ninjas can improvise when it comes to finding safe passages into secure places!" Mecho snarls, "They don't need such bulky equipment to help them steal stuff! Look at the Ouendan! They do it all the time!"

Ryuta sneezes again, yanking another pot of coffee away from J's mug and spilling it on the floor dangerously close to him. J cringes as he scoots his chair away while staring at the steam rising from the puddle next to him.

"Maybe you should take the day off," he mutters, "You sound like you're coming down with something." Ryuta muffles a growl as he slaps the pot onto the table.

"No," he grumbles, "Your dogs need to stop talking behind my back." He then turns and storms off towards the kitchen to retrieve the sponge mop he used to clean up the last spill he made.

Lava groans as she scratches her ear with her hind leg, "Oh no! This didn't help at all! It just made the situation worse!"

Morris and Derek sigh as they scratch the back of their head in frustration.

"Well, maybe if we're lucky, we'll get a call from a real ninja," Morris mutters.

"That's if someone else doesn't come into the Command Room and invites himself into our growing problem," Derek mutters back.

Little do they suspect that another miracle was bound to come along to try its hand at closing the rapidly worsening debate between ninjas and pirates...

* * *

While one problem had been dealt with, another quickly takes its place. In a pagoda-like building deep within New York, Ken Ozu, a good-for-nothing heir to the _Sushi Motor_ company approaches the desk clerk, grinning behind his bucktooth smile.

"Hey!" he shouts, "How about going out to dinner tonight with moi?"

"NOT!" the clerk exclaims, slamming her hands on her desk, "Your father is asking for you in his ready room!"

"What? Daddy?" Ken grumbles. Annoyed, he skulks into his father's room only to be in immediate shock of the news he bared, "The plan for our new car was stolen!"

"We need them for the show tomorrow," his father growls in frustration before shrieking with fright, "Without them, WE'RE DOOMED!"

"WHAT!" Ken shrills. He yanks his cell phone out and begins punching numbers, "We gotta call the cops!"

"You idiot! This' a top-secret project!" his father shouts, punching his son in the jaw before he could press the "send" button, "We already know our rival, Moo Moo Motors is the culprit!" he points at Ken, "If you want to be CEO of this company, use your ninja skills AND GET THOSE PLANS BACK!"

Ken freaks out, "You're crazy, Daddy!"

"Don't come back until you've succeeded!" his father demands, lobbing a ball towards him. Upon contact with the floor, the area fills with smoke, obscuring his vision. It clears after a second, exposing him in a blue ninja outfit.

Ken stares at his new appearance, which had a katana to his back and a shuriken in his hand. He flings the shuriken only to have it loop around and stab him in the back of the head.

"This is insane!" he screams in pain seconds before throwing his head back and shrilling at the top of his lungs.

_****__**HEEEEAAAALLLLP**_!


	24. Episode 24: Pirates, Ninjas, and Agents

Episode 24: A Tale of Pirates, Ninjas, and Agents, the Spin Chronicle

Spin struts down the hallway as he listens to some music on his large headphones. He was about to pass by the Command Room when he overheard arguing that was louder than the volume of his music. Curious, he walks inside to find Chieftain and four of J's dogs continuing their argument over which bandits were cooler.

"Hey! What's all the hubbub, bubs?" he cuts in. The entire argument screeches to a halt as the debaters turned their gaze over to him, their anticipating spirits making him feel agitated.

"Run, Spin!" Lava yelps, "Save yourself!"

Spin plants his hands on his sides as he cocks his head to one side, "Aw, I get kicked out before I hear what's goin' on? You guys're no fun!"

"Oh, it's nothing serious," Chieftain said, trying to remain calm, "We were just talking about how strong and cool pirates are."

"No we weren't!" Diablo exclaims, "We were talking about how fast and cool ninjas are!"

"Yeah!" Mecho chimes in, "You can't trick Spin into believing such nonsense!"

"It ain't nonsense, you yapping mongrels!" Chieftain snaps, "It's the truth, and you know it!"

"Is that what this' all about?" Spin cuts in again, "I know exactly which of them guys are better!"

"You do!?" the debater pipe up.

"Yeah, man! It's no real contest!" Spin throws his hands behind his back as he stands straight, "Everyone knows ninjas are the coolest dawgs on the planet!"

Chieftain, Sabin and Vixie drop their jaws while Diablo and Mecho howl, jump and back flip for joy.

"Wrong answer, Spin," Morris and Derek mutter nervously.

"Ha! In your face, Pirate Lovers!" Diablo laughs, "Spin knows exactly which thieves are cooler, thus proving that ninjas are the badass castes in the universe!"

"He's only agreeing with you because he wasn't around when a real pirate showed his stuff!" Vixie barks, "He's been spending way too much time with the Ouendan to understand anything about what makes them so different from ninjas!"

* * *

Ryuta sneezes yet again. And, yet again, he jerks the kettle from J's mug, spilling the entire content on the floor beside him. J doesn't even bother moving this time as he had gotten used to this redundant scenario.

"Maybe I should call Central and check up on my dogs," J mutters.

"You do that," Ryuta mutters, slamming the pot on the table, "And while you're at it, tell everyone to stop comparing us to ninjas!" he then storms off to get his trusty sponge mop for another clean up, leaving J to stare in confusion.

"Ninjas...?" he mutters, dumbfounded.

* * *

"Hey! That ain't cool, dawg!" Spin complains, "I'll have you know, if it ain't for the cool moves those ninjas make, most of us wouldn't be safe in the real world!"

"And you think the result will differ if the weaponry of a pirate were the reason we're still around today!?" Sabin growls.

"If thieves have to rely on flimsy weapons like katanas and throwing stars, they wouldn't be able to steal anything valuable!" Vixie barks.

The four neutral members of EBA watch helplessly as Spin is obliviously dragged into their debate over pirates and ninjas, further sinking the chance of ever spending the rest of the day in peace and quiet. Lava drops her head, ears and tails a second before turning the highest part of her body towards Morris and Derek, her sports shades hiding her helpless eyes.

"I suppose you want to know if dogs get migraines?" she moans.

"There!" Kahn exclaims, grabbing everyone's attention as they turn to see a picture of Ken's screaming mug appear on the screen. He turns to face the occupants in the Command Room, crossing his arms, "Ken Ozu, heir to Sushi Motors. Turns into a ninja in order to get his plans back from their rivals, Moo Moo Motors, but has never done this kind of work before. All of you go out there, cheer him on, finish up this annoying argument, AND GET OUT OF MY OFFICE!!"

The entire group found themselves outside the Command Room in the split second Kahn gave the order.

"This debate is as contagious as the rhino virus," Derek mutters.

"Amen to that, homie," Morris sighs.

* * *

Ken creeps through the dark labyrinth of a storage facility, jittering from head to toe and glancing around wearily for the building where Moo Moo Motors has hidden the plans to Sushi Motors most ingenious vehicle. After much searching, he finally notices a building illuminating with lights surrounding its four walls and waving around the corners of a secured fence.

"IS THERE A BACK DOOR!?" Ken stutters nervously as he surveys the supposedly unsurpassable security. He stares down at the wide moat separating the building from the port, the night sky stripping anything that would indicate how deep it is. Taking his chances, he snaps a piece of bamboo from a nearby bog and jumps into the water, sticking the bamboo in his mouth and using it as a breathing tool to keep from drowning.

Meanwhile, a helicopter flies overhead, the Agents, Morris, Spin and Derek, surveying Ken's descent from a pole hanging out the side door. Spin grins confidently as he looks up to Chieftain and the five dogs occupying the inside of the helicopter.

"Just you wait, y'all!" he shouts, "I'm gonna make you change your views of ninjas once you get a birds-eye view of their quick and deadly skills!"

Chieftain snorts and looks away from the three, "Just shut up and get going! I want to see the look on your face when you find out just how useless those ninjas are!"

Spin grins confidently as they drop from the pole and land on the dock of the port, turning their gaze to the ocean and beginning their performance to Jamiroquai's _Canned Heat_.

_I used to put my faith in the worship  
__But then my chance to heaven slipped  
__I used to worry about my future  
__But then I threw my caution to the wi-hi-ind_

Ken cautiously swam through the moat, still fearing his chances of getting the plans back before the next convention. He didn't like the high security and often frets getting caught the moment he jumps out of the water. Halfway through the ocean, he sees the reflection of spotlights glistening through the surface of the water. Thinking he's near the factory, he picks up his pace, drawing in more air from his bamboo shoot and making sure to avoid the spotlights from detecting him.

_I had no reason to be carefree  
__No, no, no_

After emerging from the moat, Ken slides along the brick wall of the security grounds, trying to avoid grabbing attention. Halfway down the wall, a small bit of ground breaks loose, creating a loud crumbling noise. The patrol dogs heard the crumbling and began whipping their heads around and barking while getting the guard's attention

"Anyone there!?" a guard shouts as he pulls out a flashlight and turns it on.

'_til I took a trip to the other side of town  
__Yeah, yeah, yeah_

Ken panics as he jabs his hands into his pocket and pulls out a large canvas matching the brick wall he laid against, and pulls it in front of him just as the flashlight had shined over his figure.

"Was I hearing things?" the guard mutters. He turns his flashlight off and heads off to continue patrol of the area, oblivious to Ken pulling the canvas down and placing a finger in front of his buck-tooth grin, shushing quietly.

_You know I heard that boogie rhythm, hey  
__I had no choice but to get down, down, down, down_

Away from security, Ken reaches the base of the building, seeing it towering a lot higher than when he was on the other side of the moat.

"I'll try and climb to the roof entrance," he estimates before muttering, _Fear of heights..._

_Dance  
__Nothing left for me to do but dance  
__Off these bad times I'm going through just dance  
__Got canned heat in my heels tonight baby  
__Ooh-ooh I-I'll_

Despite his fear of heights, Ken begins his ascent up to the roof entrance he detected earlier from his perch on the other side of the moat. But the mirror-plated windows became more of a hinder to his climbing claws than a helping hand, sending the chubby ninja screeching down towards the very ground he tried to escape from. Frantic, he began digging his feet onto the wall, swinging them so fast, he started to sprint up the building as though it was the ground.

_You know this boogie is for real_

Ken reaches the roof and scrambles to the door only to find it chained and locked tight.

"The doors locked!" he exclaimed. Grabbing his katana, he began swinging at the chains and padlocks with gusto until the entire structure crumbles in a heap of metal. Two secretary employees grabbed each other at the sight of Ken's entrance.

"NINJA!?" they shrieked to the aloof ninja as he places his finger on his lips an utters a shush sound.

"HALT!!" shout several voices. Ken whips around to see red and white dressed guards charging at him with their batons armed and ready.

"They've spotted me!" he growled as he made a dash for the nearest hallway.

_I've got this voodoo child in vein on me  
__I'm gonna use my power to ascend  
__You know I got these running heels to use  
__Sometimes there's no way I lose  
__I was born to run and built to last  
__You've never seen my feet 'cause they move so fast_

While trying to outrun the guards, Ken trips a security beam, causing red lasers to shoot out from every direction. Scared of what might happen if he tripped over theses series of beams, he drops low to the ground and crawls through the hallway, the effort hindered by his large body. Just when he thought he was safe, the clambering of guards began to sound in the distance. Panicked, he used his speedy ninja skills to scramble up, through and under the openings between the red lasers fencing the entire area.

_Dance  
__Nothing left for me to do but dance  
__Off these bad times I'm going through just dance  
__Got canned heat in my heels tonight, baby  
__Ooh-ooh I-I'll_

It didn't take long before the guards caught Ken in a pincer formation. Many were pouring in from all openings in the hallway in an attempt to keep him contained within the very spot he stood on. All began to shout and charge at him, ready to bring their batons down on his fat head.

Ken panics at the growing number of guards, completely lost on what to do. He clapped his hands into a ninja-like formation and began spinning around, using another one of his ninja tricks to create several doppelgangers that began running around, confusing the guards while the original escapes through an airshaft on the ceiling, taking another moment to place his finger on his lips and usher another shush sound.

But as he emerges onto the next area of the building, another set of guards jump in front of him.

"You ain't gettin' past here!" they shout in unison.

_Hey DJ, let the music play  
__I'm gonna let this party live  
__(I wanna let this party live)  
__Hey DJ, throw my cares away  
__I'm gonna let this party live  
__(I'm gonna let this party live)_

The guards charged towards Ken, swinging their batons in an attempt to bash him into submission. But the aloof ninja gracefully dodges them and retaliates by flinging his trusty shuriken at the two, sending both into a frenzy of painful pandemic as they scrambled to get away from the flying stars.

_Hey DJ, let the music play  
__I'm gonna let this party live  
__(I wanna let this party live)_

_Hey DJ throw my cares away  
__I'm gonna let this party live  
__Canned heat in my heels tonight_

_Dance  
__You know this boogie is for real  
__Dance  
__Got so much canned heat in my heels  
__Dance  
__Gonna dance, gonna dance my blues away tonight_

Ken spots a cow-patterned safe at the far end of the room and rushes towards it.

"The plans have gotta be in this safe!" he exclaims. Reaching into the mind of his ninja skills, he manages to decipher the codes and, with one scream of the word "ninja", spins the combination until the door flies open, exposing a disc containing the blueprints inside.

"Piece of cake!" he snickers as he grabs the disc and makes a dash for one of the windows in the room.

"Hey! You can't do that!" one of the guards exclaims.

"I just did!" Ken snickers before leaping out the window, using one of his canvases as a glider to fly back away from the building, "Catch me if you can!"

_You know  
__You know this boogie is for real  
__Dance_

The next day, Ken's father arrives at the motor expo, seeing Ken among the crowd surrounding the Sushi Motors booth.

"I see you got the plans back," he said. Ken snickers and points towards the center of the crowd.

"What do you think that is?" he asks snidely.

Looking towards the showcase, the father sees a compact shaped like the helmet of a samurai standing on a slowly spinning turntable.

"Now that's style!" he shouts.

_Got so much canned heat in my heels  
__Dance  
__You know, I'm gonna dance my blues away tonight_

He grabs his son's shoulder and points to the horizon, "Great things lie ahead for us, my son!"

"Yes, Daddy!" Ken laughs with glee.

* * *

"Well, how's about that!?" Spin snickers, back in Central, as he twirls around and ends with a stylish pose, "Y'all still think ninjas are still weak and lame?"

"I don't!" Diablo yaps, "What I saw really proved that ninjas are the badass of the thieving world!"

"He got lucky, that's all!" Chieftain exclaims, getting into Spin's face, "If you hadn't cheated and encouraged him to get those plans back, he'd be up a creak without a paddle!"

"Oh yeah!? And what about you, Mr. Hypocrite!?" Spin retorts, "If I remember correctly, the only way that pirate was able to get his hand on any treasure was because he screamed for your help!"

"His crew mutinied him!" Vixie exclaims, "Pirates do that all the time! That doesn't make them lousy or stupid!"

"And that's another reason why ninjas are better than pirates!" Diablo barks, "They don't have to work in a group in order to get what they want. They can go solo and never have to worry about betrayal or trust!"

"But if they're killed, who will take over their legacy!?" Sabin points out, "The reason pirates work in groups is more than just strength in numbers, is also strength in bonds! If the captain goes down, another will just take his place and continue from there!"

"Ha! That's a laugh," Mecho chuffs, "I've seen what happens when a captain is shot down! The entire crew crumbles into a gang of screaming men, begging for mercy! Ninja's don't have to worry about what happens to their leader! If one falls, another will just show up and take over with vengeance!"

Morris, Derek and Lava watch in the distance as the group began arguing again, admitting to their failure of dealing with this crisis out of control.

"This isn't goin' anywhere," Morris groans as he takes his fedora off and scratches his small afro, "No matter what we do, they just keep arguing."

"And the more we ask people for help, the bigger the controversy," Derek sighs, "Isn't there anything that'll put an end to this annoying debate?"

They then look down to Lava, who's just sitting before them, wagging her tail like nothing bothered her.

"You're in a peppier mood," Morris said, slipping his fedora back on, "You had a good dream or somethin'?"

"It's more than that!" Lava barks, looking over to Morris and Derek, "I think I found a way to settle this dispute once and for all!"

At this, the entire hallway drops dead silent as all eyes turn to Lava.

"Y...you do!?" they yelp in shock.

Lava gets up and wags her tail faster, "Yep! Ninjas may be fast and agile; and pirates may be strong and powerful. But there's only one group that can surpass all odds."

"Really?" Sabin asked.

"What's that?" asked Diablo.

"Cheerleaders!" Lava yips, gaining an echoing "HUH" from the rest of the group, "Pirates and ninjas are cool, but even they can't survive without someone giving them encouragement. And who better to rely on for encouragement than the Elite Beat Agents? They aren't afraid of going into danger, and they can withstand anything that can ruin their performance, and drop anyone who calls for them back into the dumps."

The debating group stares at Lava some more before turning their attention back to each other, muttering among themselves.

"Hey, she does have a point," Sabin said.

"Cheerleaders don't have to fight in order to encourage people to stand up to their problems," Vixie mutters.

"They don't have to be at the front of the line to show their superiority over others," Diablo yips.

"And they always back each other up when everything goes wrong within their own group," Mecho finishes.

"Wow, wha'dya know," Derek chuckles, "The solution to this problem's been under our nose the entire time."

"I should've thought of this in the first place," Morris said, "Save us both the hassle of spending another day finding ways to end this argument."

Chieftain snorts, crosses his arms and looks away from the group, "I still think pirates are more badass than ninjas."

Spin copies the gesture, putting his hand behind his head instead of crossing them, "You keep thinkin' that. I'll stick with my own."

The five dogs huddle closer to each other, Lava lolling her tongue.

"And I know something else only the five of us can agree on," she whispers.

"What's that?" the other four ask.

"Who our favorite Agent is."

"Oh, that's easy!" Sabin yaps.

"No contest there!" Vixie pipes.

"We all know that answer!" Mecho laughs.

"There's no doubt about it!" Diablo says, "That our most favorite agent is..."

"MR. J!!" the five howl in unison.

* * *

J suddenly sneezes, spitting out a mouth full of coffee in the process. Kai and Hajime stood beside him, one holding a kettle and the other a notepad.

"Now there's a bad sneeze," Hajime said, "You coming down with something?"

"No..." J mutters, wiping some of the coffee from his mouth, "I think I someone just talked behind my back."

"Like the last two times someone talked behind Ryuta's?" Kai asked.

"Well, at no one got wet during this whole scenario," Hajime said.

"Uh...hate to disagree with you but..." J mutters, hinting towards the other side of the table. The two turn heads to see Ryuta sitting adjacent to them with a teacup tipped towards his mouth, his spiky hair drenched in coffee and laying limp on the right side of his face.

"Oh...I forgot you were given the day off because Oji-san thought you were sick..." Hajime mutters to his superior, whose eyebrow began twitching in annoyance.

"Are...you going to be okay?" J asked.

"Just get me a towel..." Ryuta growled.


	25. Episode 25: Free Ticket to Desertion

Episode 25: Free Ticket to Desertion

It was another boring day in the Tanaka residence deep within Brooklyn. The grandparents have taken Jago, Aimay, Saito and Suzuki to a petting zoo on the outskirts of the city; while Kai had disappeared to the wilderness away from New York for his yearly wilderness training; leaving Ryuta and Hajime with nothing to do but sit in front of the TV and channel surf. But even that was proving too much of a frustration.

"There's nothing on," Ryuta said, flatly, as he tosses the remote onto the coffee table below them, "What now?"

"Well, Jiji left the newspaper on the table," Hajime said, equally flat, as he laid, half sprawled, along the left side of the couch, "Maybe we can find a movie to watch."

Ryuta glances towards the newspaper sitting on the edge of the coffee table and picks it up, opening it and flipping through several pages, "No, no, crap, stupid...oh please tell me you're joking!"

"Or, we can just do nothing," Hajime suggests. Ryuta pulls the newspaper down and shoots a stupefied look towards his immature subordinate.

"Do nothing? As in just sit around in absolute silence?"

"Never killed anyone before." Ryuta continues to stare at Hajime before he folds the newspaper and tosses it onto the coffee table, sinks into the couch a bit, and rests his head on the backrest, staring straight ahead. Each second that passes, Ryuta changes positions; first sitting upside down on the couch with his bare feet perched on top of the backrest, then flopping onto his stomach with his chin resting on the armrest adjacent to where Hajime sat, and finally sitting on the floor with his head on the cushion.

He eventually jumps up and throws his arms into the air, bellowing at the top of his lungs, "I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!"

"Dame..." Hajime mutters. Ryuta drops his arms and whips around to glare at him.

"I am NOT hopeless! I'm BORED!" he complains.

Hajime grunts as he pulls his legs onto the couch and turns to lay on his back, staring at the ceiling in complete boredom, "So what do you think we should do today?" Ryuta flops onto the couch, crossing his arms and closing his eyes as though going into deep thought. A few more seconds pass before he looks back over to the lazing Ouendan next to him.

"Let's drive down to EBA and play around with their holodeck," he said, "There's bound to be something in their database we could use to kill time."

"Are you sure?" Hajime asks, sitting up, "You know how picky Chieftain is letting outside factions play around with EBA property."

"Don't worry, I'll be careful," Ryuta said, "He won't even know we were the ones who turned on the holodeck."

Hajime remained unsure of Ryuta's decision, but seeing as it was better than hearing him complain all day he had no choice but to accept it and move out.

* * *

Taking the hummer, the two drove into a junkyard, deep within the slums of Brooklyn, in search of one of EBA's secret entranceways; the only one convenient and accessible to trusted outside factions. And only convenient if...

"THEY CAN'T BE ON VACATION!" Ryuta exclaims once they found a pile of junk with rusted, metal doors on them. Taped over the cracks of the door, soaked in splatters of dirt water and oil, is a piece of paper that read "On vacation, do not enter" in red crayon.

"I figured the Commander would've given us complete access to Central," Hajime grumbles from the driver's seat of the hummer, "But nooooooooo. Chieftain HAD to convince him to set limits on our visitation rights because HE still thinks we're a bunch of brats that wouldn't know righteousness if it hit us in the face."

Ryuta muffles a growl as he kicks the rusted door, turns and storms back into the passenger seat, shutting the door behind him, "Everyone's off having fun except for us!"

"Thing's would've been different if Suzuki hadn't voted to taking the buggy instead of the hummer." Hajime sighs before looking over to Ryuta, "So now what?"

Ryuta sighs as well, pulling out a small, red pouch and jiggling it, causing a chorus of metal hitting metal to sound throughout the hummer, "We still have some quarters left over from the time we spent in Las Vegas. Let's go to the arcade and waste it playing Dance Dance Revolution."

Hajime sighs again as he starts up the engine and pulls up the brakes, "Alright. But I need to stop by the gas station first. The hummer's running low on fuel." He then pulls the lever into forward drive and heads out of the junkyard.

* * *

Once back in the urbanized part of the city, Hajime pulls the hummer into a cheap-looking gas station. He turns off the engine and rummages through his coat pocket for some change.

"Kuso...!" he grumbles, "I must've left my wallet at home."

"Just get the pump ready," Ryuta said, climbing out of the passenger seat, "I'll take care of the payment."

He heads to the station and opens the door only to hear fanfare blasting in his ears. He stood by the doorway, dumbstruck, as confetti rained down on him and most of the attendants yipped and cheered.

"CONGRADULATIONS!!" shouts a man with a short pompadour and a blue, old-fashion suit and red tie, as he slid over to Ryuta, holding a microphone to his mouth, "YOU ARE OUR ONE MILLIONTH CUSTOMER OF THE YEAR!!"

Ryuta continues to stand by the doorway, thoroughly unamused, as the man dances around him, waving two tickets in his other hand, "YOU MUST BE ONE LUCKY MAN TO HAVE STEPPED THROUGH THESE DOORS AND BE SHOWERED WITH PRAISE!!" He stops beside Ryuta, facing the crowd inside the station, "BUT THAT'S NOT ALL!! OH NO!! WORDS AREN'T ENOUGH TO SHOW OUR APPRECIATION, WHICH IS WHY HE IS ALSO LEAVING THIS STORE WITH TICKETS FOR TWO TO A SPECIAL CRUISE!!" He looks back over to the stone-faced Ouendan, "WHY IS THIS CRUISE SPECIAL!? BECAUSE THE CARLINTON SISTERS ARE SCHEDULED TO BOARD THIS CRUISE TO PLEASE ALL WHO PARTICIPATE IN THIS SPECIAL NIGHT ON THE SEA!! ISN'T THIS THE MOST EXCITING THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO YOU, YOUNG MAN!?" He finishes by sticking the microphone in front of Ryuta, causing the entire station to fall silent as they wait for his response.

Ryuta eyes the microphone, then everyone staring at him with freakishly wide grins on their faces, before uttering a very flat, "Thrilled..."

The announcer shakes with joy as he twirls around and faces the audience while pointing towards Ryuta, causing the fanfare to start up again, "AND THERE YOU HAVE IT FOLKS!! ANOTHER SATISFIED CUSTOMER!! HE CAME IN HERE A SAD MAN, BUT NOW HE'LL BE LEAVING WITH EXCITEMENT, EAGER TO MEET THE CARRINGTON SISTERS UP CLOSE!!"

"Does this prize come with free gas," Ryuta asks, still very flat.

"FREE GAS!?" the announcer exclaims, jumping in front of Ryuta, "FREE GAS!? SIR, YOU'LL BE SAILING A CRUISE BOAT WITH THE FAMOUS CARRINGTON SISTERS!!" He waves the tickets in front of Ryuta's face, "THAT'S MORE VALUABLE THAN ANY OL' TANK OF GAS YOU CAN FIND AT OTHER GENERIC GAS STATIONS!!" Ryuta wrinkles his nose in disappointment as he snatches the tickets and storms off towards the counter in the center of the station.

Hajime pulls the gas pump from the hummer's tank, after filling 40 worth of fuel, looking towards the station to see Ryuta throw the door open, letting loose a flood of fanfare and shouts of "BYE", before slamming it shut, cutting out the noise like a sound proof room.

"Bottakuri..." he grumbles before marching back to the hummer and climbing back into the passenger seat.

"Sounds like you had fun paying for the gas," Hajime said, closing the tank and climbing into the driver seat.

"Loads..." Ryuta grumbles sarcastically as he shuts the door beside him.

"So what did you win, besides the unneeded attention?"

"A special weapon to kill time."

"What's that?" Ryuta stuck the tickets in front of Hajime as he took and examined them, "Sunset Cruise?"

"Again, time killing weapon. It's not like we have anything better to do. And besides, I've always liked watching the moon rise over the ocean."

* * *

Early that afternoon, the two lone Ouendan board the cruise boat with several other people who either bought or won the tickets from other places. Most of the occupants were couples looking for some beautiful scenery to spice up their dates or honeymoon; though the effort has been greatly hindered due to a thunderstorm brewing overhead. Not wanting to get wet, the two retreat indoors, deciding to wander around and find something to occupy their time.

"**Are you sure this' a good idea?**" Hajime asks as he glances at the couples passing them by, "**It feels like we're some yaoi looking for a room to cuddle into.**"

"**Quit staring and you won't feel that way,**" Ryuta said, focusing on the hallway ahead of him, "**With all the hype back at the gas station, I have a hunch there'll be more single men on this boat that just the two of us.**"

"Ooooh! Check it out, Norma!" giggles a voice from behind the two. They turn to see two girls come out of a room a few feet from them; both blonde, one tied in a high ponytail while the other laid dangling over her shoulders with a butterfly pin on the left side of her head. The girl with the high ponytail wore a sky blue, strapless dress, while the other had a pink, strapless dress, and large bracelets on her wrists.

"Oooh, they're so strong and manly!" the girl in pink squeals as she and the other girl walked up to Ryuta and Hajime. She walks up beside Hajime, placing her arms around him, "This one's cute! He looks like a police officer from China!"

"I'm Japanese..." Hajime mutters, trying to contain his annoyance.

"But this one looks gruff and fearless," the other girl giggles, stepping up beside Ryuta and running her hand through his hair, "I'll bet if I take down this messy ponytail..." she adds by pulling out the ribbon of Ryuta's topknot, spilling it down to his shoulders in a mildly wild bunch, "He'd look like an Asian Rambo!"

Ryuta's frown tightens as he swipes the ribbon from the girl's hand, "That 'messy ponytail' is called a topknot."

The girls continue to giggle as they moved away from them and continued down the hall.

"C'mon, Norma," the loose haired girl said, "Let's go to the dining room. I'm starving for something meaty and rare."

"That's if the meat doesn't try to ask us for a date, Isabelle," the high ponytail girl giggles.

Hajime continues to watch as the girls disappear down the hall before looking over to Ryuta, who's holding the tip of his ribbon between his teeth while redoing his topknot.

"All that coddling's sucked the air out of me," he mutters, "Let's go back outside and get some air."

"Yeah...let's..." Ryuta grumbles while tying the ribbon around his topknot and heading back to the entrance they came through.

* * *

"Look!" one of the occupants inside the dining room exclaims, "The two super-star celebrities have arrived!" Everyone turns to the entrance of the dining room to see Isabelle and Norma Carrington step in, emitting an array of beauty that struck the hearts of every man that laid eyes on them.

One of the men walked up to Norma and kisses her hand, "Be my princess, Norma!"

Replied Norma with a dainty wave of her hand along his love-stricken face, "Not today, Daniel."

A short, wily cowboy rushes over to Isabelle presenting a large diamond, "My oil-fields are all yours!"

Isabelle responds with an equally dainty slap along the cowboy's swooning figure, "I don't have time for oil right now."

Their gentle resistance did little to quell the room of flirting men who all wanted a date with the famous celebutants, leading them to be buried with proposals and flashes from several cameras.

* * *

The two lone Ouendan leaned against the rail surrounding the sides of the ship, watching as the clouds grew darker and lightning began to flash in every direction. What they had hoped for a peaceful way of killing time is slowly starting to become a weary bother.

"This storm's getting worse," Hajime mutters, "Don't you think the captain should've turned back by now?"

"In contrast to disappointing the guests, I doubt it," Ryuta said, "But we'd better head back inside before the waves start kicking us around."

As if on cue, the cruise suddenly jostles to the side, sending everything unbolted flying out of contention, including the people onboard. Ryuta and Hajime were thrown against the rails, their upper bodies too high over to keep them situated. Unable to fight back the tilting cruise, they flipped over, barely managing to keep hold of the rails with their hands as they were slammed against the side of the cruise, the impact knocking Hajime's hat off his head and into the swelling currents.

"What's going on!?" Hajime exclaims, "We're tipping too far to the side!"

Ryuta glances towards the other side of the ship, seeing an monstrous wave tower over them, swallowing everything in its path.

"I have a feeling were about to find out!" he yelps seconds before the wave crashes down over the hapless cruise and everyone onboard.

The wild currents of the storm tear the cruise apart, sending piles of wood and metal floating to the surface. Most of the people panicked and flailed about, screaming and fighting over the nearest buoyant object they could find.

Ryuta and Hajime surfaced a few feet from the wreckage, treading as hard as they could to keep from being pulled under by the savage waves.

"Fine weapon you picked up!" Hajime chokes, spitting out a mouth full of water that splashed into his face.

"Yeah!" Ryuta hacks after getting hit with another wild current, "Too bad it didn't come with a dial to control its damage!"

Not long after finishing, another large wave leaps out of the storm-driven ocean, crashing down on top of the two Ouendan and sending them tumbling below the surface. They reemerge, worn and breathless from the ordeal.

"We need to get back to the wreckage before this storm drags us further out to sea!" Ryuta gasps.

"That's easier said than done!" Hajime pants, glancing at the currents blocking their point of view, "We're too deep to see anything but water, and I'm having enough trouble just staying afloat!" Ryuta huffs a frustrated and worn growl before noticing a large piece of wood board floating towards them. He quickly grabs it and pulls it between them.

"Grab on!" he shouts. Hajime quickly replies, grabbing the other end of the board and leaning his chest onto it. Ryuta does the same, both taking a moment to recollect their stamina and breath.

"What'll we do now...?" Hajime mutters tiredly, "Should we try to swim back to the wreckage?"

"I don't think we can at this point..." Ryuta mutters back, "I hate to admit it, but it doesn't look like we'll be getting back to the mainland anytime soon..."

"So what...?"

"I don't know... We may have to ride this storm out and hope we survive..."

Hajime eyes Ryuta, exhaustedly before groaning and laying his head on the base of the board, "My family's not going to be too happy about this..."

* * *

Later that evening, at the Brooklyn apartment, the door creeks open as the grandparents, Jago, Aimay, and the two Ouendan followers step into the room, finding themselves in pitch blackness.

"**It's so dark,**" Jago mutters, "**Where could Aniki and Ippongi-san be?**"

"**The hummer isn't here,**" the grandmother said, "**Maybe they went out somewhere.**"

"**They haven't called to inform us of anything,**" the grandfather said, "**Do you think something's happened to them?**"

"**There was that report of a cruise ship being destroyed by the storm earlier today,**" Suzuki said, "**I would've believed Tanaka-sama and Ippongi-sama weren't onboard, but their whereabouts say otherwise.**"

The grandparents furrow their eyebrows in shock and worry as they flop onto the couch, looking towards their feet. Jago looked surprise for a few seconds, but it quickly changes to confidence.

"**Don't worry!**" he exclaims, "**They've been through a lot worse than this! I know they'll make it back here in one piece!**"

The grandparents look over to him, then Saito and Suzuki, before sighing and leaning back on the sofa.

"**I suppose you're right,**" the grandmother said, "**I suppose the only thing we can do is pray for their safe return...**"

* * *

The rising sun dried away some of the water washing around Ryuta and Hajime's body as they continue to drift along the vastness of the ocean on their makeshift lifesaver. Just as Ryuta had woken up from its warm rays, the board suddenly gets caught in a tidal wave that threw them onto the shores of a beach. Amazingly, the only thing that washed off the two during the midnight storm drift were their black shoes.

Ryuta pulls his face out of the drenched sand, coughing and spitting out what flew into his mouth, then takes a moment to survey their new surroundings. Aside from the beach they laid on and the ocean where they drifted, the rest appeared to be trees leading to the entrance of a jungle. He soon heard groaning and looks over to Hajime, seeing him struggle to prop himself on his elbows.

"Hajime..." he mutters, pushing himself to his feet and helping the rookie towards a palm tree near the jungle, "**How're you feeling?**"

"**Emaciated...**" Hajime mumbles weakly, "**Haven't eaten or drank since yesterday morning... A miracle I was able to sleep through the night...**" Ryuta sighs a bit as he looks up the palm tree behind him to see a few coconuts hanging off its branches. He gets up and heads over to the tree, climbing up and striking two of them with an open-hand chop, sending them tumbling to the sand below.

Dropping down to the two coconuts, Ryuta picks one of them up and smashes the top into the jagged trunk of the palm tree to open it, then heads back to Hajime and hands it to him.

"**Not exactly the best way to enjoy breakfast,**" he began, "**But it'll at least keep us active until we find a way to get out of here.**" Hajime didn't complain as he took the coconut and guzzles the water into his mouth.

"**Speaking of which,**" he said after taking a second to breathe, "**Where exactly are we?**"

Ryuta smashes the top off the second coconut before glancing around the area again, "**I don't know. This doesn't look like any Island depicted on a map.**" He sat down and takes a small mouth full of water, "**Either way, it's better than being stuck out in the ocean, waiting to be rescued.**"

"Hai..." Hajime mutters, snapping off a small chunk of coconut and scraping some meat off its shell into his mouth, "**So should we try to swim back to New York once our strength returns?**"

Ryuta chews on a small portion of coconut meat before looking back out at sea, "**The weather report mentioned at least two more storms swooping around. Even if it doesn't hit here, we still can't risk the effort. We'll have to camp out until the storms pass, then see if we can try and make it back to New York.**" He looks back over to Hajime, "**I can only hope the others could wait out that long.**"

"**As long as there're morality officers living with Jiji and Sobo, there won't be any sorrow burning in their hearts.**" Hajime chuckles.

A few minutes after finishing off their improvised breakfast, Hajime notices something unusual sticking out of the drenched sand of the shores. Curious, he gets up, walks over to the object, then crouches down for a closer look before darting a glance back towards Ryuta.

"**Ryuta! Come here! Quickly!**" he shouts. The Ouendan leader springs to his feet and rushes over to him as he began digging into the spot, pulling out two gray, muddy wallets. Hajime flips them open to reveal licenses and badges. The license was soggy due to its time spent underwater, but the two can still make out the appearance and the pictures printed below them.

"**That's...**" Ryuta mutters.

"**Twist and Twirl's badges...**" Hajime finishes, "**The waves must've carried them here.**"

Ryuta took Twist's badge and stares at it in remorse, "**The only mementos that survived their predicament. And we're the only ones that know why...**"

"**What do you think we should do with them?**" Hajime asked, "**Should we hand them over to EBA once we get back to New York?**"

"**I'm not sure. With Spin and Jonouchi the only members who understood and excepted Twist and Twirl's fate, there's a grim chance we could set a bad impression on everyone else, especially Chieftain, since he's the least tolerant of our presence.**"

"**Good point. If he confronts us first before we make it back to EBA, he'll have enough red herrings to break our ties with the agency.**"

"**The only way we're going to avoid that mishap is by getting around Chieftain long enough to show the Commander the badges and see what happens afterwards.**"

Hajime looks at Twirl's badge again, "**Do you think the homing chip on these badges still work? If they do, it's just going to signal more problems before we even have the stamina to get off this Island.**"

Ryuta looks down at the rusted badge on Twist's wallet, "**The surfaces' rusted. There's no telling if their even sending a signal back to Central. We're just going to have wait and see if anything does happen now that we've unburied what's left of the two.**" He closes the badge and sticks it in his pocket, "**But until then, let's worry about finding food and shelter before the next storm hits.**"

Hajime nods as the two head off into the jungle to begin their foraging.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Island, the Carrington sisters lay, belly-flat on the shores of the beach as most of the debris from the wreckage floats along side them. A few minutes pass before they regain consciousness and sit up to survey their new surroundings.

"Where are we?" Norma mutters nervously. After getting their bearings, there was only one conclusion that could satisfy their curiosity.

"We must be on a..." Norma mutters again before both shout in unison, "DESERTED ISLAND!!"

Not long after stating the obvious, a tide slams into them, shoving them further onto the beach. Norma screams as she looks at her fingers in exasperation.

"MY NAIL!!" she wails.

"MY DRESS!!" Isabelle screams in equal exasperation.

After spending some time complaining about their new looks, a thought suddenly comes over them.

"Isabelle..." Norma mumbles.

"Norma..." Isabelle responds in the same tone, "Do you think...?"

The two grabbed hands in excitement.

"This is our chance to get lost!?" Norma squeals.

"Oh, I've always wanted to try this!" Isabelle squeals as well before both rear their heads back and shriek at the top of their lungs.

_**HEEEEEEEEAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLP!!**_

* * *

"It's not fair!" Missy whines, "Why do the guys always have to go out and have fun while we're stuck here guarding the hold?"

"It can't be helped," Foxx sighs, "After we wasted our vacation time in Japan, I wouldn't be surprised if we were quickly outvoted."

Starr sits in the chair of the Command Room, staring up at the huge monitor in complete boredom; her legs crossed, her elbow resting on the top knee, and her chin resting on her hand. Before she could say something, there was a sudden blip on the sea area of the monitor and a picture of the Carrington sisters' screaming mugs expanded from that point.

"Hey! Check it out!" she says, waving her two backups over to the monitor. They stare up at the monitor as a synopsis of their problem scrolls beside them.

"Survived a storm that destroyed the cruise ship they boarded, the Carrington sisters are now stranded on an Island with no knowledge of survival skills," Foxx read.

"I get it!" Missy pipes up, "They must've been involved in that storm yesterday! Wow! This' awesome! We get to go to a deserted island and have some fun!"

"But what about our responsibilities?" Foxx asked, "I don't want to disappoint the Commander again if he comes back and finds us missing."

"Don't worry, Foxx," Starr said, "If they come back before we do, we'll just tell them we got lost and couldn't get out until dusk. They won't even know we decided to have some fun with our mission!"

Foxx compresses her lips before sighing and shouldering her laptop, "Well, if you think it'll work..."

"Cool!" Missy squeals, "Let's pack up and go! I wanna get lost before dusk arrives!"

The other two nod as they head out the Command Room to prepare.

End Notes:

"Bottakuri" is Japanese for "rip-off".


	26. Episode 26: Survival Rated “E”

Author's Note: In regards to the last review by CrimsonSkyez, the only time I use actual Japanese romaji is when the Ouendan are spouting one or two words, either in annoyance or to smite others. If I had to write their dialogue in Japanese. when they feel like speaking it, no one would understand what they were saying. Also, as I've stated in _Three is Company_, I don't speak a whole lot of Japanese, so even if I did decide write an entire sentence in romaji, I'd make Babel Fish look promising.

Episode 26: Survival; Rated "E" for Everyone

"Look! That must be it!" Missy chimes as she points to the small, deserted island ahead of them. The Divas sailed through the rough seas on an inflatable, black, banana-shaped raft; Missy and Starr wearing snorkel masks while Foxx carried a big, lavender floatation ring on her right shoulder.

"Cool!" Starr says excitedly, "C'mon, girls! Let's get this party started!"

The boat washes up onshore as they leap off and land on the beach, seeing the Carrington standing a few feet away, crossing their arms and shivering madly.

"Like, a heater!" Isabelle demands.

"I'm cold!" Norma complains.

Starr places her index and thumb into her mouth and whistles loudly, grabbing the sisters' attention as they turn to face her and the other two Divas.

"Just two of you won't be enough," Starr says, pulling out her badge and presenting it to the two, "So how about we add a little pizzazz to your survival instincts?"

The sisters glance to each other before shrugging and turning to look for some fire to start up. The Divas weren't sure if they accepted their help or not, but decides to go with it and starts their cheerleading performance.

_Some boys kiss me, some boys hug me  
__I think they're okay  
__If they don't give me proper credit  
__I just walk away_

The sisters flopped down on a hammock made of vines, no longer able to stand the unforgiving temperature of the seaside. A raccoon scurried along the sand, minding his own business, when he saw the girls shivering before him. Their beauty sparks an adrenaline of love, causing him to zoom off and return with a pile of logs, stacking them into a circular dome while taking the last one and rubbing it into the center.

_They can beg and they can plead  
__But they can't see the light  
__That's right, that's right  
_'_Cause the boy with the cold hard cash  
__Is always Mr. Right_

The prehistoric method of starting a fire took a while, leaving Norma and Isabelle shivering for hours before a fire finally appeared. The raccoon grabs a large leaf off one of the trees and rushes back to the fire, swinging it around and sending enough heat for them to stop shivering and lean back in a relaxed position.

'_Cause we are living in a material world  
__And I am a material girl  
__You know that we are living in a material world  
__And I am a material girl_

"I'm still cold!" Norma complains in frustration. Isabelle looks around her, noticing more raccoons gathering around them, seeming curious of the bonfire started by the lone animal. The two glance to each other, brimming with an idea, before facing the tribe of raccoons before them.

"HEY GUYZ!!" they shout before striking a beautifully cutesy pose, "HI GUYZ!!"

Squealing in love-struck hypnotism, several raccoons clambered onto the sisters and wrapped themselves around their necks, taking away most of the chill.

"Wow!" Norma shouts with surprise.

"How nice of you guys!" Isabelle pipes up with joy.

As the day wore on, the temperature began to rise, but with it came another problem.

"I'm hungry!" Norma exclaims.

"French or Italian will do!" Isabelle demands.

_Some boys romance, some boys slow dance  
__That's all right with me  
__If they can't raise my interest then I  
__Have to let them leave_

The Carrington sisters skulked through the forest, moaning and holding their stomachs in malnourished pain, trying desperately to find something to eat. Not long after passing through half the forest, they were spotted by a bear, lion and monkey. Their radiating beauty hits the hearts of the wild beasts, causing them to unleash a hoard of animal sounds as they rush off to find food to feed them.

_Some boys try and some boys lie but  
__I don't let them play  
__No way, no way  
__Only boys that save their pennies  
__They make my rainy day_

The girls turn around to see the three animals bearing an assortment of apples, bananas and meat. Giggling with anticipation, they began leading them to through the forest towards an opening where they can dine on their new offerings.

'_Cause we are living in a material world  
__And I am a material girl  
__You know that we are living in a material world  
__And I am a material girl_

"Thanks," Norma said after they reached a clearing in the jungle. They took some of the fruits offered to them and stared at them confusingly, "How do you eat these?"

The animals didn't give any more of a helping hand and just sat there, waiting for them to try their food. The sisters look to each other before walking closer to them, "HEY GUYZ!" They then struck another beautiful pose, their breasts bouncing from the motion, "HI GUYZ!"

Refueled by their charm and beauty, the animals snatched up the food and used their claws and hands to slice it into an elegant smorgasbord.

"Wow!" Norma gasps in surprise.

"Like a tropical cuisine!" Isabelle says hungrily.

After their expensive breakfast, the sisters were overcome by heat and exhaustion.

"I'm hot!" Norma complains.

"Air conditioning! Now!" Isabelle demands.

_Boys may come and boys may go  
__And that's all right you see  
__Experience as made me rich  
__And now they're after me_

With the help of an elephant and a gorilla, work began on their shelter from the boiling heat. Norma and Isabelle sat in fold out chairs, watching the animals slave over their beauty. The heat eventually tires them out, causing them to fall asleep. With the lack of obedience, the animals paid little attention to their work and more on the food before them.

'_Cause everybody's living in a material world  
__And I am a material girl  
__You know that we are living in a material world  
__And I am a material girl_

After some effort, a hut was created. The sisters examine their new shelter eagerly.

"It'll do," Isabelle said.

"And to finish..." Norma began as she and her twin sister turn to the animals who helped them.

"HEY GUYZ!!" they shout before striking another exotic, beautiful pose, "HI GUYZ!!"

Hearts bounced out of their eyes as they enter their luxurious shelter complete with Jacuzzi.

"Best spa in the world!" the sisters chime as they let the animals massage their shoulders and back.

'_Cause we are living in a material world  
__And I am a material girl  
__You know that we are living in a material world  
__And I am a material girl_

"I guess it's time to go home," Norma says. Isabelle notices a plane fly towards them in the distance.

"Isn't that a plane?" Isabelle asks.

They struck a final pose, Isabelle presenting a platinum credit card, "HEY TAXI!!"

The plane catches sight of the card and twirls around, presenting eyes of dollar signs for windows as it flew down towards the two. As they board the plane, they wave to the animals, who have helped them survive their harrowing ordeal, "BYE GUYZ!!" they call to the now agonized wildlife.

Once back in the tropics of Florida, the sisters emerge in front of a crowd of reporters and admirers flashing and presenting their gifts to them.

"How was it on the deserted Island?" one of the reporters asked.

"We love taming savage beasts!" the two squeal as they brought out their new companions of lion, bear, monkey, raccoon and other animals swooned by their affection.

* * *

"Alright! Playtime!" Missy yips as she points towards the jungle, "Let's explore that jungle and see what other animals we can find here!"

"Shouldn't we move the raft first?" Foxx asks, "I don't know about you guys, but I'm not in a position to be stuck on this Island all day long."

"She's right," Starr sighs, "Let's head back to the beach and secure the raft somewhere where it won't get pulled out to sea." Missy moans in frustration as she follows her higher-ups back to the beach they parked their ride on earlier.

Not long after emerging from the jungle, they witness their raft suddenly drift out to sea. The Divas shriek with shock as they rush out to the shores only to be stopped by the oncoming waves.

"Oh no! Our raft!" Missy cries.

"What...!?" Foxx was about to exclaim before hearing a pair of highly insane laughter. She and the other two Divas whip around to see two men bouncing around like monkeys a few feet from them. One had messy hair that, had the mud and rain not ruined it, would've been spiky and light green, while the other had a dirty Mohawk that looked to have been hot pink. Both appeared to be starved to the bone and wearing nothing but large, black cloths around their waists.

"Be gone! Be gone, bad memories!" the green haired man screams, "No more will I suffer your flashbacks, bad memories!"

"Wha...what the hell is this!?" Starr shrills in fright. The two men turn and faced them, their blood-shot eyes widening in more horror than the Divas could muster with their own, youthful faces.

"They haunt me!" the pink Mohawk man shrieks, "Those bad memories! It won't leave me alone!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Foxx complains, "But now that you've shoved off our raft, we're pretty much stuck here until the Agents come to get us!"

At the word "Agents", the two scream in agony and run around in circles.

"No! No more! I will not be tormented by your bad memories!" the green haired man exclaims.

"We shall banish you from our minds and make you stay gone forever!" the pink haired man declares.

They began running after the Divas, grabbing and throwing shells at them while screaming insanely. The three shriek in fright as they scramble into the jungle, shielding their heads from the oncoming objects.

* * *

"Those rambunctious Divas!" Chieftain exclaims after he and the other Agents returned from their vacation, "I told you we shouldn't have left them in charge of Central!"

"But you knew they had to be punished for what happened three months ago," Morris said with a shrug, "The Commander thought it was fitting to leave them in charge of responding to everyone's call."

"Yeah," Derek began, "The question now is, where they could've gone if someone did call for our aide."

"Whoever called for them may have already been taken care of," Kahn said as he sat at his desk under the large monitor, "But there may've been more to their extended absence than trying to get away from Central for a while."

"What's that?" the three pipe up as they turn to face Kahn, then followed his gaze to the large map on the screen. The island the Divas retreated to is brimming with signals, flashing the badge of EBA; three belonging to the second unit, and two completely unidentified.

"Five signals?" Morris asked.

"They couldn't belong to Spin and J," Derek began, "I saw them head into their quarters to shower and unpack their stuff."

"Then those signals must be coming from..." Chieftain trails off.

"The badges of Twist and Twirl," Kahn finishes, "So...after nine long months, we have finally located their whereabouts. The Divas must have locked onto their signal and are searching the island for them."

"The place is full of jungles," Chieftain said, "There's no way they'll be able to find Twist and Twirl by themselves."

"No, I believe not," Kahn said, turning to face the three Agents in the room, "Therefore, its best that you three head down there and help them find Twist and Twirl. That way, we will be able to recover them faster and uncover everything that happened to them during the whole accident nine months ago."

The three nod as they turn and head out of the Command Room.

* * *

"Where are you, bad memories!?" the pink haired man calls, "Come on out so we can erase you from our minds!"

The two saunter through the jungles, looking all over for the whereabouts of the Divas they chased earlier. They pass by a cave, completely unaware of the female Agents hiding inside, shaking and trying hard to keep quiet.

As soon as the two disappeared, Missy turns a terrified glance over to her two partners.

"I'm not enjoying this anymore!" she moans, "I wanna go home!"

"We can't now," Foxx mutters, "They kicked away our only means of getting home."

"Looks like we'll have to wait for the Agents to come and find us," Starr said, looking towards the entrance of the cave, "Until then, let's get out of this dump and find something to eat. All that running's made me hungry."

"How can you think about food at a time like this!?" Missy complains, "We're on the verge of being slaughtered by two crazy men and all you worry about is filling your stomach!?"

"She has a point, Missy," Foxx said, "If we're going to get off this Island alive, we need to find enough food to keep us alive and fit. Mind you, I don't want to wind up like those loons chasing us earlier."

Missy sighs in frustration as the Divas head out of the cave to forage for food.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the deserted island, a large, black sub beaches itself on the damp sands of the shore. The hatch at the very top opens as Chieftain climbs out and drops down to the base, turning to face Morris and Derek as they emerge after him.

"Both of you stay here and keep an eye on the sub!" he orders, "Don't you dare let anyone in!"

"Wait a minute, Chief!" Morris exclaims, "The Commander said we gotta stick together on this one!"

"That's right!" Derek calls out, "You can't do everything yourself!"

"You don't know Twist and Twirl as well as I do!" Chieftain shouts, "Therefore, the only thing you're good for is guarding the sub 'til I return with them!" With that, he jumps off the base of the sub and onto the dry part of the beach, heading off into the jungle to begin his search.

Morris and Derek muffle a growl as they lean on the rail and plant their cheeks on their hands.

"So much for 'all is one'," Derek said, "He just wants all the credit himself while we're stuck as the 'Agents who tended to his ride'."

"He could be right, you know," Morris said, "How long have we known those two before they disappeared? Pictures and historical backgrounds might not be enough for us to want to get lost in the jungle for their sake. The only thing we can do is wait and hope he comes back with them alive."

Derek sighs in frustration as he turns around and leans further onto the rail, "I still think it stinks not getting much praise for this find."

* * *

Starr climbed up one of the banana trees deep in the jungle, swinging a large branch towards a bunch hanging beside her and sending it dropping towards the dirt covered ground between Missy and Foxx.

"This should tie us over for now," Foxx said as she picks up the bunch and pulls one of the bananas off, "Now all we need to do is find shelter. There's no telling when the next storm'll hit, or if it'll reach here."

"The cave we hid in earlier should be shelter enough," Starr said as she climbs back down to her two backups, "We just need to build a door and find some fire to warm up to."

"Then let's take the bunch and head back to the cave," Missy said, "I don't want those insane men to come back to try and kill us again."

"Who are you calling insane, bad memories!?" shouts a voice. The Divas whip around to see the man with pink hair standing over the branch of a tree, holding a decaying tiger tooth, "Bad memories never go away! Never until I make them go away!"

"What is your problem!?" Foxx exclaims, "We didn't do anything to make you think badly of us!"

"We don't even know who you are!" Starr shouts in the same manner.

"Lies! Bad memories remember everything! Bad memories love to torment me with memories I don't want to remember! I must kill all bad memories so I can leave in peace!"

The Divas cringe in fright as they grabbed the bunch of bananas and scramble down the jungle. The man laughs insanely as he leaps off the branch and chases after them, swinging the decaying tooth around in a feral attempt to stab them in the back. The chase lasted a couple hours before they reached a cliff overlooking a wide lake below.

The man laughs as he advances towards them, raising his decaying tiger tooth, "I have you trapped, bad memories! No longer will you haunt me with your painful memories and drag me further from the light to heaven!"

"What is this all about!?" Starr demands, "If it's something we did to you in the past, tell us what it is and we'll fix it!"

"No! I shall not fall deeper in the pit of hell to satisfy your pleasures, bad memories! Bad memories remember all I remember, and bad memories want to force me into the darkness to see me squirm and beg for mercy! But I will not fall! I will climb this pit until the light comes to take me away! And bad memories will not try to push me back down!"

The man arches back and throws the tiger tooth towards the Divas like a dagger. Missy and Starr dropped to the ground to avoid getting hit, but Foxx, being too close to the cliff, wasn't so lucky. The tooth grazes the right side of her neck, knocking her back and sending her falling into the lake below.

"Foxx!" Missy screams as she and Starr scramble to glance over the edge at the splash spiking from the surface of the lake.

The man laughs in triumph as he bounces around, clapping his feet together with each bounce, "Gone! Gone! The bad memory is gone! The light grows brighter with each bad memory I erase from my mind!"

Starr and Missy whip their heads back to him as he advances towards them, picking up two jagged rocks from the ground, "I shall continue to cleanse my mind of bad memories until I reach the light to heaven!"

The two remaining Divas shrink closer to the cliff as the man continues to close in on them, raising the rocks as he does. Just as he was about to sink them into their bodies...

_**OSU!**_

The man's eyes widen in horror as the sound hits his ears like a sniper bullet. He drops the rocks and grabs his head, rearing it back and screaming in terror. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! MORE BAD MEMORIES!! THE WORST OF THE BAD MEMORIES!! STAY AWAY FROM MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!" he turns and scrambles away from the Divas, heading towards the next shadow of the jungle.

Starr and Missy stare, horridly, at his disappearing figure before Missy gasps in shock and turns back to the cliff where Foxx fell off.

"Oh no! Foxx!" she exclaims, "We have to get Foxx! She can't swim!"

Almost following her exclamation, a large, black shadow leaps over them and drops down to the lake below. Starr stares in surprise before noticing a narrow incline to the right of them, leading to a safe passage to the embankment surrounding the lake.

"Missy! Over there!" She said, pointing to the path, "Let's head down there and see what happens next!"

Not wanting to wait and ask questions, Missy gets up and follows her superior Diva down to the embankment where they find Kai grab its muddy edge, using it as support to help him haul the soaking, injured computer whiz out of the water and onto the ground before him. Starr and Missy clamber around Foxx, checking her pulse and observing the graze on the right side of her neck. Small trickles of blood oozed out of the opening, but it didn't appear to be too serious.

"Foxx!" Missy calls, shaking her friend, but didn't get anything more than a weak groan.

"We need to get her back to the cave so we can take care of her!" Starr said.

"But it's beyond the cliff we were chased against! We can't carry Foxx up that narrow incline without slipping back into the lake!" Before Starr could come up with a solution, Foxx is suddenly yanked off the ground. They look up to see Kai tower over them with Foxx hanging over his left shoulder; his height a foot shorter because of the absence of his getas.

The Ouendan chief continues to stare at them before turning around, "Come with me." He said before heading off into another jungle clearing. Starr and Missy blink in surprise, look to each other, then get up and follow after him.

* * *

Chieftain marches through the jungle, knocking away vines and branches that stood in his way. His thin shades hid his determined eyes as they focus on a portable radar system he took out of the sub earlier, specially made to detect frequencies even when taken into dense obscurities like jungles or caves.

The radar detected two signals moving around the jungle, most likely hunting for food to survive on. He wasn't sure how long the two had been in this situation, but fears that their long search may have left them starved and weak. He needs to hasten his search if he's ever to find Twist and Twirl in time.

A few hours into the search, he hears the sound of leaves rustling and snaps his head towards one of the trees making the noise, seeing nothing but shadows block out the late afternoon sun. Chieftain snorts and turns to look at his radar system.

"Damn squirrels," he mutters as he continues down the path drawn out by its digital mapping system. Five minutes after disregarding what he heard, another sound interrupts him. This time, it wasn't the rustling of leaves, but insane, shuddering snickers. He whips around in time to see a pair of fangs rake across his left side, tearing his uniform and sending small sprays of blood flying everywhere.

Urking in agony, Chieftain crumbles to the dirt and leaf filled ground, grabbing his nearly shredded side as he sees a figure land before him, his hair a messy green, his body a frail structure of skin and bones with nothing but a torn piece of black fabric tied around his waist, his eyes wide and bloodshot with terror, and his bloodied hands gripping the upper jaw of a crocodile skull.

"Bad memories continue to haunt me!" he snarls, "Bad memories never leave me alone!"

"What...!?" Chieftain grunts before frowning in horrified realization, "Wait...I recognize that hair color!"

The man shrills a laugh as he bounces up and down while pointing at the ailing BA-1 Agent, "See!? See! Bad memories remember everything! Bad memories intend to haunt me with their horrid past and drag me further from the light to heaven! I won't let bad memories keep me from reaching that light and ending my suffering with peace!" he raises the crocodile skull, "Be gone, bad memories!"

_**OSU!**_

The man screams in overwhelming horror as the sound wedged their way into his ears, forcing him to grab his head and stumble about in a fit of agony.

"THE INFESTATION!!" he shrieked, "THE BAD MEMORIES KEEP FINDING ME!! GET AWAY FROM ME, BAD MEMORIES!!"

Chieftain watches as the man turns around and scrambles away from him, screaming and shouting at the memories to go away. He knew there was only one person who would be able to shout like that and fill people with whatever emotions run through their hearts. The only person he could do without the saving.

Angered by this realization, he struggles to get back up, but the agonizing pain and fading strength barely allowed him a few more seconds of consciousness; barely enough to glimpse at his radar system and find the signal of two badges a few feet behind him, and advancing at rapid pace.

"Huh..." Chieftain mutters as his consciousness slowly fades, "I guess...it didn't take long...for me to find them..." He then drops his head and lets the pain lull him to an agonized slumber.

End Notes:

About Foxx not being able to swim; that was just an assumption based on the fact she carried a liferaft instead of a snorkel.


	27. Episode 27: The Art of Forgiveness

Episode 27: The Art of Forgiveness

Chieftain wasn't sure how long it had been since he passed out. Then again, with his consciousness jumping in and out every so often, it was even harder to tell if time had elapsed since his unneeded blackout.

Aside from this, the only other thing that kept jumping into his mind with each awakening is the whereabouts of Twist and Twirl. His last memory before passing out was seeing their signal on his portable radar system moving towards him at a fast pace. He fights to keep conscious to see their faces, but each struggle only worsens the darkness around him. To make matters worse, his recent, short-term recovery was met with the sound of thunder roaring in his ear.

Chieftain is considered the most fearless member of the agency. There wasn't anything in existence that would make him drop to the floor in a heap of shaking flesh. That's what makes him the top agent, and that's how he wants to be known as to future generation of agents. To reveal that he had a deathly fear of thunderstorms would not only shatter his pride, but also ruin his status as the fearless agent.

He doesn't know why he fears thunderstorms, and he tries hard to overcome them. But the effort only seemed to bring him closer to soiling his black trousers then give him a reason to stand tall and proud. And today was no different. Having suffered through a rigorous ordeal of fading in and out of consciousness, the last thing he needed is to reveal his fear of thunderstorms to anyone within eyeshot of his predicament; most particularly the Ouendan, as they have a knack for diabolically poking fun at anything that will break him into fine pieces of humiliation. Seeing him whimper at the mere sound of thunder will only fuel their ambition to further bully and harass him.

The thunder roars louder with each flash of lightning that zips through his line of sight. And with the increase in volume came the increase in shuddering from the towering Agent. At this point of his ordeal, he almost wished he could slip back into unconsciousness. But his racing heart did nothing more than keep him awake as though it was being bullied by his fears.

Just when all hope seemed lost, a strange voice breaks through the roaring thunder, caressing him with its soft, soothing tone.

_All through the night  
__I'll be awake, and I'll be with you  
__All through the night  
__This precious time, when time is new_

Chieftain's fading consciousness made it hard to decipher the owner of the voice, but its smooth singing and the calming sensation could only lead him to one conclusion; it had to belong to Twirl.

_Oh, all through the night today  
__Knowing that we feel the same without sayin'  
_

_We have no past, we won't reach back  
__Keep with me forward all through the night  
__And once we start, the meter clicks  
__And it goes running all through the night  
__Until it ends there is no end_

The soothing words of the lyrics relaxed his racing heart, lulling him into a deep slumber. But he wasn't ready to go back to sleep, not until he sees for himself the condition of the person who's singing to him. He tries to speak up, but could barely muster the strength to utter a few moans and groans. The singing didn't cease. It was as if the singer is insistent on lulling him back to sleep.

_All through the night  
__Stray cat is crying so stray cat sings back  
__All through the night  
__They have forgotten what binding they lack  
__Oh, under those white street lights  
__There is a little chance that we may see  
__  
We have no past, we won't reach back  
__Keep with me forward all through the night  
__And once we start, the meter clicks  
__And it goes running all through the night  
__Until it ends there is no end_

Chieftain's consciousness begins to fade the deeper the song coursed through his ears. His heart slowed to a stable rate of thumping, further reducing his chances of regaining enough consciousness to see who was singing to him and if it was the person he had in mind. Unable to fight the increasing slumber, he finally lets himself slip back into unconsciousness, the song slowly fading as it finishes.

_Oh, the sleep in your eyes is enough  
__Let me be there, let me stay there for a while_

_We have no past, we won't reach back  
__Keep with me forward all through the night  
__And once we start, the meter clicks  
__And it goes running all through the night  
__Until it ends there is no end_

Chieftain is soon awaken by the ray of the morning sun lighting up the color of his shades. The pain he suffered had all but subsided, and his strength slowly returned. He sat up and surveyed his new surroundings, finding himself in a dark, rocky cave; laying on a pile of leaves shaped like a full-size bed.

He found his upper clothing tossed against the far end of the cave, the jacket and shirt shred on the left side, and a first aide sack carelessly pulled open, its contents spilled around the open flap. Chieftain frowns as he grabs his side, feeling something rough run along his fingers. Looking down, he sees a white bandage cover him from chest to waist, a thick padding pressed against his crocodile slashed wound.

Chieftain's frown tightens as he picks up the radar system, conveniently placed near the first aide sack, and checks the map to find a signal just outside the cave. Anxious to see if it was Twist or Twirl, he rushes outside while throwing his shirt and jacket on. What he found in the three foot clearing surrounding the cave, aside from a 30ft waterfall and a 20ft wide and deep lake, is Hajime sitting in front of a pile of wood, trying to start a fire by scrapping two stones against each other.

Upon hearing the rapid footsteps, Hajime turns his head in time to have Chieftain grab him by the throat and yank him to his face.

"Where is she, Gaki!?" he nearly roars.

"Where's who!?" Hajime chokes. Chieftain growled in more anger before throwing the rookie Ouendan to the damp mud.

"Forget it! I'll find her myself!" he snaps as he marches towards the jungle away from the lake. Hajime scrambles to his mud-caked, bare feet and chases after him, grabbing his left arm in an attempt to stop him.

"You can't go in there! You haven't recovered yet!" Hajime exclaims.

"Get your hands off me, Gaki!" Chieftain snaps again, slamming Hajime hard against the wall of the outer cave with one flex of his muscles, "Twirl's in this jungle somewhere and I won't let you stop me from finding her!"

Hajime coughs a painful strain as he crumbles flat onto his stomach, then pushes himself onto his hands, "What makes you think...!?"

"Because I heard her sing!" Chieftain exclaims, causing Hajime to blink in shock, "Even without her headphones, she could still sing any song without so much as a strained voice, causing everyone who hears her to react in an emotional way!" Hajime grits his teeth as though hesitating to object, "And no one, not even the Divas, could match her tone of voice!"

"If you care about her so much, then stop acting like you're fine and wait for her to come back!" Hajime said, getting up, "You can't keep acting like you're the only person on this planet who knows what goes through a person's mind!"

Chieftain snarls as he grabs Hajime by the throat again and slams him against the rocky wall, "How dare you patronize me, you tyrannical little...!" he's cut off by a sudden jolt of pain shooting out of his left side, forcing him to release Hajime and grab the wound where the sensation came from.

Hajime coughs another strained breath as he drops to his rump, glancing to Chieftain's left side to see blood trickling through the space between his fingers. A split second after gazing at the blood, the rookie Ouendan's eyes widen as he screams in fright, scrambling to his feet and pressing his back against the wall as if he was trying to flatten himself into it.

"S-S-STOP PRESSING IT!!" he shrieked, almost startling Chieftain, "YOU'LL SPREAD IT ALL OVER YOUR HAND!!"

Chieftain stares at Hajime like he was crazy, then gazes down to the wound on his left arm, seeing the blood trickling down his fingers and onto the fabric of his black jacket. A sinister grin would've crept over his face if it wasn't for the fact he was already in a foul mood.

"I'm sorry, your shrieking nearly broke my eardrums," he began in a "calm" tone, as he pulls his hand out to reveal a splatter of blood painted on his palm, "Is this what you're referring to?" Hajime's eyes widened more as he scrambles to get away from him, only managing to kick more mud and leaves away from the spot he was pinned against.

"G-GET IT OFF!!" Hajime exclaims hysterically, "GET IT AWAY FROM ME!!"

Chieftain's frown tightens as he claps his hands together, smearing some of the blood to the other palm, then shoots out, grabs Hajime around the waist, and hauls him off the ground, watching him scream louder while flailing about in a vain attempt to knock himself free. After five minutes of pandemonium he finally drops the rookie Ouendan, allowing him to scramble towards the lake where he frantically pulls his gakuran trench coat off, revealing a white, business-like shirt with the Ouendan emblem on his left pocket, and slamming it into the water, yelling incoherently as he madly scrubs at the blood soaking its wool fabric.

Chieftain snorts as he wipes what's left of the blood on his pant legs, "If it wasn't for the fact I need this to stay alive, I would've had you bowing to my every being." He then turns around, "But I have more important things to do than tame a screaming little monster like you!"

Hajime shoots a glare towards Chieftain as he heads off into the jungle to pursue, what only few believed to be, a stubborn rescue hunt.

* * *

Missy places a wet leaf on Foxx's head, watching as she laid on a bed-size pile of leaves and twigs, shaking and breathing heavily.

"She looks like she's getting worse," she mutters, "We need to get her to the hospital before she succumbs to this fever."

"That's if we can get off this island," Starr sighs, leaning against the wall of the inner cave and rubbing her temple, "Since those crazy bastards shoved our only ride out to sea, we're stuck here until the Agents realize what happened and come to find us."

Missy looks over to Starr, "I still don't understand why all this' happening. What were those guys talking about, calling us bad memories and claiming they can see the light once we're gone?"

"Who knows...? They could've been enemies of our clients, fearing our abilities and thinking death is the only way to relieve their pain."

"They were con artists suffering severe mental trauma," Kai said as he walked back in, shouldering a bear-hide sack of food, "I felt the anguish in their hearts when your paths cross. Their vision of 'bad memories' seem to indicate that they were Agents who only cared about using their talents to gain money and girls."

Starr and Missy stare, wide-eyed, at Kai before looking to each other in the same, horrid manner.

"Oh no..." Starr mutters, "Now I know who those two are! The guy with the pink Mohawk is Rupert, and the other guy with the green hair is Zeke! They were the sleaziest jerks who waltzed onto the EBA limelight before J-Yama!"

"Disgusting pricks!" Missy gags, "They used to hit on us when we were young, spoiled themselves rotten when they were given money for their efforts, and spent half the night using the holodeck to watch some raunchy strip shows, then refusing to get up 'til halfway past the afternoon! I was almost glade those two went loco and were sent to Alcatraz in San Francisco!"

"The only question now is, how they wound up on this island," Starr said, "Alcatraz is one of the most impenetrable places on the planet. Even Chieftain would have problems getting out of that place."

"Were you informed that they have made it to Alcatraz?" Kai asked, "Anything could have happened that would lead them to winding up on this island looking and acting like Gollum."

"You may be right," Starr said, "They could've been on a prison boat to Alcatraz that was either knocked over by the storm or other rowdy prisoners unable to stand life behind bars."

"They must've thought being stuck on this island is some saving grace from having to see our faces again," Missy moans, "Too bad our recent mission shattered their dreams. I almost feel sad that they wound up like this."

"Yeah...I would too if it wasn't for the fact they nearly tried to kill us!" Starr growls, "I say we get off this Island and let them get what they want, a long life talking to themselves and being attacked by animals!"

"Leaving them on the island is a better result to just dragging them back with us and expect them to recover," Kai said, "Not only would that put the entire world in danger, but it would also cause them more pain, almost to the point where they would commit seppuku to end their suffering."

Missy and Starr look to each other again before sighing in agreement and looking down at their feet again.

* * *

Chieftain trudges through the rigorous paths of the jungle, looking around for the whereabouts of Twist and Twirl. He looks down at his radar, seeing another signal on its mapping system. Before he could figure out where the signal is coming from, two figures dropped out of the trees and land in a pincer formation around him. The top Agent frowns in anger as he eyes both of them.

"Rupert...Zeke..." he growls, "I still can't believe I was forced to work with frauds like you. You're one of the many reasons we feared the functionality of our Em-O-Meter!"

"No! The bad memories are still alive!" Rupert, the pink haired man exclaims as he bounces up and down in an absolute fit, "I tore, chased and drowned the bad memories, but still the bad memories haunt me!"

"When I get you two back to Central, you're gonna suffer more than mere reminisces of your rotten past!" Chieftain snaps in a mixture of anger and annoyance.

The two shrilled in fear as they ran around in circles.

"No!" Zeke, the green haired man cries, "The bad memories want to haunt me more with their evil pasts! I must erase them from my mind before they consume me with darkness!"

Chieftain grits his teeth as his two former backup members advance towards him with their trademark weapons, Rupert a decaying tiger tooth and Zeke the upper fangs of a crocodile's skull. Unable to fight back, he backs away from them, trying to figure out some form of way to get rid of them before they sic, what passes for a murder weapon, on him.

He eventually finds himself backing towards a canyon ten feet from a raging river. Rupert and Zeke continue to advance towards him, blissfully uncaring for the wellbeing of their former leader.

Just when it seemed like Chieftain's end had finally come, the beeping in his portable radar began to sound faster, indicating that one of the signals is drawing closer to his location. Pulling out the device, he sees a flashing dot flying towards him, at near blinding speed, from the western sector. Whoever owned this signal must be swinging off a vine, as it was the most convenient way of rescuing someone from an unpredictable peril.

Chieftain rears his head up, expecting to see Twist or Twirl flying towards them in an attempt to rescue him, but instead is snatched off the ground by Hajime, who holds him by the collar with one hand while grappling a long vine with the other.

"Hang on, Chieftain," he shouts through the sound of the whipping wind, "We're getting away from those nutcases!"

Not two seconds after stating his plan, the two slam into a lone branching hanging off a limestone cliff on the other side of the canyon. The impact throws the two around like a couple of tetherballs until they slammed into the base of the branch, tangled in the very vine Hajime used to rescue Chieftain.

Chieftain dangled from the bottom of the branch, glaring up at Hajime, who's pinned tightly to the top, "I'm no helpless bystander, but this is not what I call a safe haven!"

"Hey! I'm trying as hard as I can here!" Hajime complains, "Just give me a moment to untangle these vines and we'll be okay!"

Another second after stating his plan, the branch suddenly snaps under Chieftain's bulky weight, causing it to sag towards the river below.

"I hate you," Chieftain growls flatly before the branch tumbles off its perch on the cliff and plunging into the river below.

Thankfully, the lightweight of the branch pulls them back to the surface before either of them ran out of breath. Unable to break free, however, they were forced to sail through the river, Chieftain being the most irritated of the savior he had little tolerance for.

"Is there anything else you'd like to say that will bring us closer to Death's doorstep?" he growls. Hajime didn't respond at first, being a bit lethargic from the ordeal that followed their plunge into the river. But at the sight of something dangerous, he quickly perks up with anxiety.

"Oh no..." he squeaks.

"Let me guess," Chieftain grumbles, "We're about to go over a huge waterfall."

"Yep..." Hajime mutters flatly.

"The same one I saw earlier?"

"Most likely."

There was a moment of silence before Chieftain mumbles, "Let's hear it..."

* * *

Ryuta paddles through the 20ft lake, his face submerged, as he searches around for the salmon swimming below him. Moving his hands in a wide, circular motion while keeping bent forward, he manages to keep most of his body above the surface, making it easier for him to take necessary breaths when running low on air.

An hour passes before he hears a pair of yells closing on his location. Ryuta pulls his face out of the water, situating himself into an upright position, and looks towards the source to see a branch plunge into the water nearest the falls.

Several barks, vines, and Chieftain's cowboy hat surface before Hajime comes up, spitting out a mouth full of water, with a large salmon sitting on his head, the tail flopped over his face.

"**Sounds like you had fun coming back here,**" Ryuta chuckles as the rookie Ouendan grabs the tail of the salmon and pulls it off his head.

"**Oh yeah,**" Hajime grumbles, more lethargic than before, "**I enjoy seeing my life flash before my eyes while careening down a 30ft waterfall.**"

They hear bubbles popping and turn to see Chieftain rise out of the water where his hat floated, his shades hiding another one of his enraged expressions. He darts glares between the two before hearing rapid beeping from his radar device. The two watch nervously as the tall Agent yanks the device out of the water and points it at them, causing the beeping to speed up to the point where it almost sounded like a flatline.

Chieftain's frown tightens as he wades over to the two and jabs his hand into their pockets, rooting up two wallets, both with licenses and badges that were both outdated and ruined from spending too much time underwater. The picture on each license, however, could still be recognizable as the presumed to be lost Twist and Twirl.

"Where the hell did you get these!?" he growls, trying, unsuccessfully, to remain calm.

"We found them on the beach, buried in mud," Ryuta said, "We were going to return them to your Commander when we get off this-"

"Like hell you were!" Chieftain snaps, throwing the badges onto the embankment near the pile of logs set up earlier, "Do you have any idea how much trouble you caused dragging most of the agency out here on the belief that Twist and Twirl actually washed up on this floating jungle!?"

"We had no idea the homing chips on those badges still work!" Hajime exclaimed, "You can't blame us for something we didn't realize until you spat it in our faces!"

"And thanks to your stupidity, not only did you put the Divas in danger, but you also got everyone's hopes up on being reunited with the most important Agents on the planet!" Chieftain exclaims back, "When this report gets to the Commander, not only will he break ties with your squadron, he'll see to it that you never respond to a person's call again!"

Ryuta and Hajime cringe nervously as the tall Agent sharply turns around and swims back to the embankment.

"**That wasn't the caffeine withdrawal talking, was it?**" Hajime mutters.

"**The way he's been dealing with our outsmarting moves,**" Ryuta began, "**Going all morning without coffee is just the crust of his emotional wrath.**"

* * *

With Chieftain being in a foul mood, it almost seemed evident that he would immediately march back to EBA Central and report the damage done by the Ouendan. Instead, because he hadn't eaten since his slash fest, he thought it would be best to grab some tropical grub before he went back to the jungle to look for the Divas and get them home.

Using a sturdy branch, a small vine, a rusted hook he found on the beach, and a worm he pulled from a rotting apple, Chieftain sets up a makeshift fishing rod and heads to the lake to catch some floundering meat. After casting his line out, he sits on a large stone wedged into the ground and waits patiently for a fish to dine on its final meal.

A minute into the wait, the surface of the lake spikes a huge splash, sending a fish flying out onto the muddy embankment near the cave. Another minute passes before a second fish is flung out of the lake, joining its flopping friend. Chieftain just sat on the rock, trying hard to remain calm as the water became agitated with flying fish and bubbles rising along the center of the lake. The more he tries to ignore the activity underwater, the frequent his body trembled, and the faster his eyebrows twitch.

Finally unable to stand the oceanic roughhousing, he sprang to his feet and shouts in a loud, frustrated voice, "HEY!!"

The water immediately flattens as Ryuta and Hajime came up with partially surprised looks on their faces. Chieftain tries even harder to contain his frustration.

"I hate to break up your little game of 'Marco Polo'," he mutters angrily before pointing to his makeshift fishing rod, "But in case you're too far from reality to realize, I'm trying to fish! So I appreciate it if you two would stop fooling around AND GET OUT OF THE WATER!!" The two Ouendan eye each other in annoyance before heading off to the embankment where the cave entrance stood, picking up their catch and heading to the unset campfire to prepare their dinner.

Now free of the distractions chasing away any catch he could've made, Chieftain flops back onto the rock and continues his long, quiet hunt for food. It wasn't until dusk approached that he finally felt a jolt on his fishing rod. Snickering victoriously, he yanks his rod back, sending water flying everywhere as his catch breaks through the lake's surface. His grin vanished as quickly as it appeared upon seeing a small guppy dangling on his rusted hook, wiggling madly to free itself.

"**Ha! Get a load of Texas Walker,**" Hajime laughs as he and Ryuta meagerly began ripping out chunks of fried meat from the large salmon they caught, "**All that waiting and he only succeeded in catching a pet fish?**"

"**Time better spent trying to get us banished from the cheering business like he vowed,**" Ryuta snorts as he picks up a wooden branch and throws it into the already blazing campfire. His waterlogged bangs drooped over his right eye while his topknot remained a saggy, high ponytail. Chieftain nearly blew a vein as he turns and points an infuriated finger towards them.

"Go ahead and act like I can't understand you!" he exclaims, "Unlike your lame impersonation of Tarzan, I was drip dry when I caught my share of the meal!" Ryuta snorts again as he gets up and turns around.

"I'm going to get some fruit," he said heading off into the jungle, "Keep the fire going until I return."

"Yokai," Hajime muffles while tearing off another chunk of fish meat. He eyes Chieftain, who glares at his small catch before tearing it off his makeshift rod and throwing it back into the lake, then gets up and storms off into the cave, throwing a large bark over the entrance as some form of door from the outside cold. It was now clear that his chances of finding the Divas and going back home would have to wait until morning. He was too tired, hungry, and in pain to try and pursue them in the dead of night.

* * *

Chieftain flips on an electric heater he managed dig up from the first aid pack, flops down on his makeshift bed of leaves and twigs, throwing his back against the stone wall and heaving a sigh of enraged frustration. His eagerness to finding Twist and Twirl shattered at the sudden realization of who carted their badges around. The only thing he could think about at this point is getting off the Island, away from the Ouendan, and away from the members of EBA who would be happy to see him dead. It almost seems as if the vacation he enjoyed with the present generation of Agents was a foreshadow to the bad luck that would haunt him for the duration of his stay away from civilization.

His thoughts were cut off by the sound of wood scrapping across a muddy surface. He snaps his head towards the cave entrance to see Hajime block his view of the darkening clearing, holding two twigs with fried fish stabbed onto them. Not wasting a moment to glance at Chieftain, the rookie Ouendan walks over to the electric heater, sticks the two salmon on its glowing steel spiral, then turns and heads back out of the cave, sliding the wood door shut behind him.

Chieftain watched the event unfold, completely baffled by the sudden, kind gesture Hajime made. He glances towards the salmon sizzling on the electric heater, at first thinking they were riddled with diseases. But his malnourished stomach made him care less as he grabs one of them and tears it into his mouth with gusto.

Hajime sits back down a foot from the campfire, using a stick to poke at the charred wood to separate and free more fire hiding beneath it. The air began to thicken with cold, heavy wind; signs that the third and final storm is about to hit the Island. Hajime picks up another piece of wood and chucks it into the fire to keep it fed, but the effort worked against them as clouds blocked out the rising moon, taking away its dim light and filling the once quiet skies with roaring thunder and flashing lightning.

Muffling a frustrated growl, he continues to poke at the fire, provoking it to stay alive and burning. The cold, howling wind, however, had other plans; blowing at the blazing beast and trying to put it to sleep. Hajime tries desperately to keep the cold from penetrating the warming barrier of the fire, his breath spewing clouds of steam; further signaling the tides of the battle.

The final blow to the losing battle is a sudden downpour, drenching both the fighter and the victim. With each drop that landed on the burning wood, a piece of flame evaporates into a fine ribbon of steam and smoke. Eventually, the entire campfire dies out, allowing the cold to surround Hajime like a mob of tormentors intent on making him suffer for no reason. Muffling another growl mixed with shivers, he curls his upper body towards his standing knees and buries his arms between them, using what little body temperature he had left to keep himself warm.

* * *

Chieftain laid across his makeshift bed, facing the electrical heater. Standing between them are two fish bones, the remains of his only meal. Having finally gotten his stomach to stop whining, the only thing he had left to pass the night away is a good, long sleep. He could fall asleep in the split second his head hits the pillow, but something was keeping him awake; nagging and pestering him with an uneasy feeling of guilt.

Whenever he about to go into a deep slumber, the thought of Hajime's selfless acts pop into his head, jerking him back to the waking world; almost as if his mind was telling him to repay the favor. Chieftain snorts annoyingly as he flips his entire body towards the wall of the cave, trying, effortlessly, to ignore these guilt trips pulling him down random roads. He knows the Ouendan are sucking up to him in a vain attempt to make him change his mind about getting Kahn to disband their alliance and keep them from cheering to anymore people. But still the thoughts prod and nagged at him as though they didn't care what anyone thought, only about the wellbeing of those who put their lives on the line just to save others.

Finally unable to stand the tormenting guilt, Chieftain springs up and marches over to the cave entrance, throwing the door open and glimpsing into the pouring scene before him. The campfire smolders from the drenched ashes that were once wood, the sparks barely giving off any heat to fight against onslaught of raindrops. As expected, Hajime was found just a foot from the campfire, collapsed to his side as he huddles closer into his body, shivering madly from the surrounding cold.

Just the sight of him made Chieftain's blood boil far worse than the temperature of his electric heater. He may as well just turn around and walk back inside; letting the obnoxious brat be consumed by hypothermia. But, then again, he shouldn't be that cruel. Even if Kahn decides to make everyone forget the good fortunes of the Ouendan, living the rest of his life in regret of not helping those who helped him would've haunted him far worse than his initial fear of thunderstorms. Wrinkling his nose in frustration, the tall Agent marches out into the pouring rain, grabs Hajime by his right arm and drags him into the cave, shutting the door behind him.

End Notes:

"Yokai" a Japanese form of saying "yessir" or "roger" when following orders.


	28. Episode 28: The Meaning of Value

Episode 28: The Meaning of Value

"Didn't take you long to give into your guilt," Hajime mutters, lethargically, as he lays flat on his back over another makeshift bed of leaves and twigs on the other side of the electric heater, "Shows how much you really care about us."

"You're only staying here because I don't want your debt keeping the agency from disbanding you!" Chieftain grumbles, laying on his own makeshift bed, facing the cave wall, "The minute that sun peaks through the cracks around those doors, you better be out of my sight!"

"You're in a hurry to go to sleep," Hajime snorts, "Afraid I'll find out about your fear of thunderstorms."

"Shut up, Gaki!" Chieftain snaps, "You don't know nothin' about what makes me crack under pressure! So quit being a Mary Sue and go to sleep!"

"How can I? The stench of your blood's keeping me awake, and your growing fear is only making it harder for me to go to sleep like you want."

Chieftain shook with anger before whipping around to face Hajime, "Listen here you bombastic little-!" before he could continue his tirade, a blasting roar of thunder swept through the area. In the split second that he heard it, the tall Agent nearly slams his back into the wall of the cave, wailing like a frightened bear.

He quickly recovers, realizing what had just happened. He shoots a glare at Hajime who, despite the lethargy, continues to stare at him with an "I told you so" air of silence. Chieftain balls his fists, to the point of whitening his knuckles, at the sheer hatred of exposing his fear to the one person who shouldn't know his secrets.

"What? You're not going humiliate me!?" he snaps, "Laugh and poke fun at how my fear is more mundane than yours!?" he flops down on his makeshift bed, facing the cave wall again, "Go ahead and get it over with! I don't care anymore! By the time I get back to Central, tomorrow, you won't even-"

_You in the dark  
__You in the pain  
__You on the run_

Chieftain quickly stops ranting, his frown tightening, as he shoots a glance towards the other side of the cave, seeing Hajime stare straight at the ceiling and sing in a soft, almost soothing tone that just about rivaled Twirl's lyrical tone of voice.

_Living a hell  
__Living your ghost  
__Living your end  
__Never seem to get in the place that I belong  
__Don't wanna lose the time  
__Lose the time to come_

Chieftain continues to listen in, completely baffled. How could a rowdy cheerleader, whose main role in his associated company is to shout and throw random hand signals, be able to sing so soft and comforting?

_Whatever you say is alright  
__Whatever you do is all good  
__Whatever you say is alright  
__Silence is not the way  
__We need to talk about it  
__If heaven is on the way  
__If heaven is on the way_

As the sound of Hajime's voice coursed through Chieftain's ears, his racing heart, tormented by the roar and flash of the thunderstorm, as well as the exposure of said fear, began to slow down; calming him; almost like his mother was close by to sooth away his fright. He couldn't help but continue to lay on his side, letting the soft melody of Hajime's singing lull him to sleep.

_You in the sea  
__On a decline  
__Breaking the waves  
__Watching the lights go down  
__Letting the cable sleep_

_Whatever you say is alright  
__Whatever you do is all good  
__Whatever you say is alright  
__Silence is not the way  
__We need to talk about it  
__If heaven is on the way  
__If heaven is on the way_

With the bags in his eyes growing heavy, Chieftain lowers his head towards the pile of leaves and twigs, feeling his heart beating like an internal massage, pulsing gently enough to allow him to fall to sleep without the fear of thunder roaring in his ears again.

_I'm a stranger in this town  
__I'm a stranger in this town  
__I'm a stranger in this town_

_If heaven is on the way  
__If heaven is on the way_

Hajime turns his eyes towards Chieftain, finding him almost sound asleep on the other side of the electric heater. He barely gives much of a response as he turns his eyes back to the ceiling, then closes them and goes to sleep himself.

* * *

Ryuta sighs as he rubs the back of his head. Having spent most of the night out in the rain, his entire body became soaked, yet despite this, he never shivered to stay warm. He had already managed to pick an assortment of tropical fruit, which he threw into a makeshift bag to keep from getting too soggy.

As he climbed down the tree he sat on to pick fruit, the rain and winds die down, causing the noise to dwindle to the nocturnal sounds of the jungle. Ryuta shoulders the sack, deciding it was enough to last the day, and makes his way back to the cave where Hajime and Chieftain are currently staying at.

He soon reached a short cliff leading to another grassy area of the jungle, its wall soggy and muddy from being in the rain too long. Ryuta knew he would have to climb it in order to get back to his current shelter. Readjusting the sack of fruit further onto his shoulder, he makes his way towards the cliff only to feel something wet and thick wrap around his feet. He looks down to find himself ankle-deep in the ground, and rising, indicating that the recent rainstorm has turned the area around the cliff into quicksand.

"Peachy..." Ryuta grumbles as he pulls the sack over his head and began trudging through the quicksand. At first, he was able to pull his feet out with little problem. But as he moves closer to the cliff, the weight of the dirt under his feet began to weaken, causing each step to pull him further into the bog.

He eventually stops when he sank up to his armpits, breathing heavily as its density squeezed his lungs slightly, making it hard for him to keep holding the sack over his head. Ryuta glances around him, finding himself now in the center, then looks towards the top of the cliff, which has risen higher than his last estimate. Tightening his frown, he pulls his arms back and throws the sack, sending it soaring onto the edge.

Now free of some heavy burden, Ryuta slaps his hands on the surface of the quicksand and pushes onto it, barely managing to free himself a foot of the way before his hands started to sink in. He pulls one of his hands out, stretches and slaps it down in front of him, using the clumps of mud to pull him further along the surface of the quicksand. He repeats this process as though he were swimming until he reached the bottom of the cliff.

Ryuta takes a moment to catch his breath, the effort strenuous due to him now being up to his shoulders in quicksand, before pulling his arms out and grabbing the highest clump of rock he could reach. He grunts as he uses the rocks to pull himself out, up the cliff, and finally onto hard, grassy soil. He takes another moment to sit on his knees and catch his breath, then reaching over and picking up the sack of fruit.

A scream suddenly grabs his attention as many owls and bats disperse from the trees and flew off in several directions. Sensing a mixture of emotions towards a web of vines surrounding another area of the jungle, Ryuta darts his glance to find Rupert charging towards him in a savage dash.

"Go away, bad memories!" he yells, "Haunt me no more!"

Rupert crashes into the vines, getting tangled into it while struggling to break free. Ryuta grits his teeth, trying to back away only to realize he was still teetering over the edge leading back to the quicksand bog. Several snaps and another scream redraws his attention as he turns to see Rupert fly towards him, clothed in vines, several of which hand trees and rocks hanging off the end. Unable to escape, Ryuta is tackled by the mad, former Agent, both tumbling down the cliff while slamming into rocks in the process.

One of the rocks tore Ryuta's coat pocket open, releasing Twist's badge and dropping it on Rupert's face, causing him to scream and claw at it.

"GET OFF!! GET OFF ME, BAD MEMORIES!" he shrieks. He manages to smack the badge away from him seconds before he and Ryuta landed in the bog, branches, stones and fruit raining around them. The badge lands right next to him, causing him to scream louder, snatch it up and struggled to tear it apart, completely unaware of the fact he was now sinking in quicksand.

Ryuta stares at the onslaught from his position on his back, observing the stones sinking faster than everything around them, before scrambling onto his stomach and crawling towards Rupert, each stroke pulling him further into the quicksand and increasing his struggle. By the time he reached Rupert, he was already back up to his shoulders while his target is almost chin-deep, keeping his hands in the air as he continues to yank at the badge in a savage attempt to tear it apart.

Not wasting any time, Ryuta swipes his hand out and grabs Rupert's wrist, his objective now involved breaking the vines around him before the stones attached to them pull him too far under. The mad Agent glares at him in overbearing fright, trying to break his grip only to decrease the weight his footing and allow the stones to completely submerge him. Ryuta continues to pulls at his arms, but the effort increases the speed of his descent, bringing him up to his chin and further squeezing out his lungs. Running low on breathing chances, he draws in as much air as he could until his mouth and nose sank below the quicksand, then shuts his eyes before it reached his forehead.

Ryuta began digging into the quicksand, trying to get closer to Rupert to tear the vines off and pull him to the surface. Unfortunately, due to the obscurity of the dirt surrounding them, neither could see where they were going, the helpless becoming more freaked out than the rescuer. Rupert, blinded by his belief of "bad memories", began fighting against Ryuta's attempts to rescue him, eventually ramming his foot into his mid-section and smashing out what little air he managed to grab before going down, as well as forcing him to open his eyes, allowing mud and sand to fly in and blind him.

Gargling, Ryuta releases Rupert and claws through the quicksand until his head broke through, gasping and coughing out the mud that flew into his mouth earlier. He tries to wipe the dirt from his eyes, but his hands were caked with mud, only managing to increase his pain and blindness. Keeping still, to avoid sinking again, he tries to sense Rupert's depth, finding him already five feet under, and still rapidly descending.

But something befuddling burned in Rupert's drowning soul, keeping Ryuta from going down after him again; a calm, peaceful spirit. Most likely, in the midst of his battle to rid himself of the "bad memories", he lost grip of Twist's badge and, because of the thickness of the quicksand, assumed the nightmare had finally ended. Going back down in another attempt to rescue him, especially now that he's six feet under, would do him more harm than good. Ryuta, though angered by this decision, had no choice but to abandon Rupert and focus more on getting himself out before he suffocates.

He goes into deeper thought, attempting to locate where the cliff was, managing to sense four spirits, both a good distance from where he remained trapped in, but split in two directions. His exhaustion, from the tightness of the quicksand and the ordeal of trying to save Rupert, further clouded his ability to judge which two spirits were at the cave, and which two were somewhere else. Desperate to get out, Ryuta focuses on the two spirits in one direction and struggles to swim towards it, the effort tiring out his muscles even more.

As he swung his arm out for a third stroke, his hand suddenly grasps a thick vine laying on the surface of the quicksand. Before he could figure out where it came from he felt his arm jerk, forcing him to grab the vine with his other hand as he was being dragged along the quicksand until his body emerged onto solid ground.

"Looks like we spotted you just in time," said a surprisingly familiar voice.

"Morris..." Ryuta mutters, half-conscious. He felt his arms lift up and rest behind two backs, pulling him into a limp, standing position.

"We were gonna turn in for the night when we heard screaming," said another voice, "Ran over here to see what it was and found you trapped in that bog. If you hadn't started moving, we'd almost think you were dead."

"Derek..." Ryuta felt the props he rested against begin to move.

"C'mon, let's get you back to the beach and clean you off," Morris said.

"I'm...I'm sorry..." Ryuta slurred, lowering his head as his consciousness began to fade.

"Sorry?" the two asked in unison, stopping in their tracks.

"His badge... I...lost his badge..." Ryuta began to tremble, more out of weakness then sadness, "Was going to...return it to EBA...b-but..."

"Hey, take it easy, Ryu," Derek said, "Try to get some R&R before you wear yourself to death."

Ryuta lets out a grunt before going even limper on their backs, letting himself slip into unconsciousness.

* * *

Ryuta pulls Chieftain's coat and shirt off, cringing at the sight of the teeth marks on his side and the blood trickling down his torn flesh.

_"Ugh," he groans, "I don't know which is worse, the wound or the weapon that crazed lunatic used to attack him with."_

_"Who cares!? Just cover it up already!" Hajime exasperates, his voice shaking in fright. Ryuta turns to see him curled on the other side of the cave, facing the wall while trembling in fear._

_"Honestly, Hajime! What is with you and your fear of blood!?"_

_"Shut up! You don't know what it's like watching _Cujo_ at the age of nine on a dare! You'd think after watching a movie about a rabid Saint Bernard I'd be scared of dogs! But just the smell of blood is enough to bring me back to those horrifying scenes!"_

_"Nanra..." Ryuta grumbles as he gets up and heads for the cave exit. Hajime jerks his head towards him._

_"Where're you going!?" he squeaked._

_"I'm going to get some water. Can't dress the wound if it's going to stink up the cave and make him sick. Make sure he doesn't run off if he wakes up before I get back."_

_"What!? You can't leave me here like this!"_

_"Suck it up, wuss," Ryuta said before leaving the cave. Hajime muffles a frightened whimper as he shrinks further into his curl, grabbing his nose in a vain attempt to block out the horrendous stench of Chieftain's wound._

_An hour after Ryuta walks out, a flash spills into the cavern entrance, followed shortly afterwards by the sound of roaring thunder. Chieftain's spirit spikes with fear, causing Hajime's heart to beat faster and increase his fright to an unbearable measure. His eyes widen as he grabs his shoulders and tries to force out the unwelcomed feeling. But each roar of thunder increases Chieftain's fright, transferring it to the trembling Ouendan and blowing his insecurity like a balloon._

_"Ryuta...!?" Hajime squeaks, trying to sense where his superior ran off to, "Ryuta! If this' your idea of a joke, it isn't funny!"_

_Nothing happened; and Ryuta was nowhere to be found. Hajime was getting desperate. If he didn't find some way of calming down, he would hyperventilate and pass out, if his heart doesn't burst from the increasing hysteria. Shutting his eyes, he began singing to try and calm himself down._

_Three verses into the song, Hajime's heart began to slow to a steady, rhythmic beat. Just when he was about to stop, he sensed Chieftain's soul begin to calm down, seeming to suggest he was conscious enough to hear him sing and let the melodies lull him back to a peaceful slumber. Figuring this would be the only means of calming both down, Hajime continues to sing, mentally watching as the blazing fear began to quell in the wake of a calm spirit._

Chieftain's eyes snap open as he shoots up to a sitting position, his hands propped behind him. The first thing that caught his attention is the ray of sunlight pouring into the cave from the entrance in front of him. He frowns as he looks to the other side of the cave to find nothing but a bed-shaped pile of leaves and twigs spread along the ground near the wall, and a worn badge laying on top, wide open to reveal Twirl's license. Chieftain sighs a bit, regretting making Hajime leave at the first ray of light, before getting up and heading out of the cave, taking the badge and sticking it in his pocket.

Upon stepping out the cave, he sees the rookie Ouendan crouched in front of the fire with six sizzling salmon hovering over it.

"The salmon'll be ready in a few minutes," Hajime said, barely acknowledging Chieftain's almost befuddled presence. The tall Agent regains his stern expression as he walks over to the campfire.

"Why're you still here?" he asked, more curious than annoyed.

"Truth or lame excuse?"

"Surprise me."

Hajime repositions his legs to Indian-style as he picks up a stick and pokes it into the fire, sending some of the burning logs crumbling to the ground and increasing the height of the blaze, "Well, it could be because Ryuta hasn't returned from his foraging, and that I couldn't leave on an empty stomach. Or, it could be that you secretly hoped I wouldn't leave after finding out who actually sung you to sleep the other night."

Chieftain remained silent a minute before sitting down with one leg tucked under his standing knee, "Why didn't you tell me you could sing?"

"Would you've believed me if I did?" Hajime poked one of the salmon to check its temperature, "At first, I didn't want to sing while you were still awake. Considering how you blew a stack after finding out we were responsible for dragging most of the agency out to this tropical nightmare." He picked up the salmon he poked, "I was worried if you heard me sing and associated it to what happened the other night you would have more reasons to sever our alliance with EBA."

"Where is that other Ouendan?" Chieftain asked as he picked up one of the salmon hovering over the fire, "He doesn't look like the kind of person who would falter in something as meager as a storm."

"My guess," Hajime mutters before taking a minute to tear, chew and swallow a chunk of salmon meat, "He got into a scuffle with one of your posse, tangoed into danger and barely escaped in one piece. I can't sense anything from madman Rupert, so I'm assuming he wasn't so lucky."

Chieftain muffles a snort in remorseful frustration, "Rupert and Zeke... They were the best Agents in the unit, always willing to follow my moves to the slightest twist of the toe; it's hard to imagine they only did this to milk our funds for their own selfish purposes." Hajime tore another chunk of meat from the salmon and began chewing on it, "After your shout did more than unveil their true reasons for joining the agency, I couldn't help but believe that death would be a better punishment, and saving grace, for them in contrast to throwing them on a boat back to that loony bin in San Francisco and risk putting more people in danger."

"So, what're we gonna do now?" Hajime asked after swallowing the chunk, "Considering Ryuta and I already have their badges, and with two crazed ex-Agents killing everything associated to their past, it's already plausible they couldn't still be on this island." Chieftain tore some meat from his salmon, chewed and swallowed.

"There's no point in wasting our lives combing the entire island to see if Twist and Twirl are still alive somewhere. Guess we got no choice but to pick up the Divas and get off this hellhole before Zeke finds and attacks us." He stares at the chunk he tore from the salmon, "That's assuming he hasn't found the girls and cut them up worse than he did me."

"He's still on a manhunt to chomp us to bits as his way of ridding his bad memories," Hajime said, "But he hasn't gotten anywhere near where the Divas are. Besides, Kai's with them, so they should be fine by themselves."

* * *

"Looks like the second storm passed," Starr sighs, "Now all we have to do is get off this island and back to Central." She then rubs her temples, "The Commander's already punishing us for dragging Spin to Japan during his week of training. Now he's gonna kill us for not coming back after finishing our mission."

"Don't worry about it, Starr!" Missy pipes up, "We can just tell the Commander we got lost in the jungle, and the storm was keeping us from finding help. I know he'll understand us."

"But what about...?" Starr trails off, nodding towards Foxx, whose cheeks were flushing an unnatural shade of red as she struggles to breathe through the chills in her body and the pain in her stomach. Missy compresses her lips as she crawls over to the silver-haired Diva and places her hand on her forehead.

"Oh no, she's getting worse," Missy moans, looking over to Starr, "Her forehead is burning something bad. We need to get her to a hospital before this fever overcomes her."

"Then we should hurry," Kai said as he walks back into the cave with a large bunch of bananas in his hand, "The longer we camp out here, the worse she will get. It will not do us good to sit here and expect someone to come and find us."

The girls look to each other in worry.

"He's right. We can't wait any longer," Starr said, "We're going to have to build a raft and use it to get back to the city."

"But...what about...!?" Missy shudders.

"They only care about getting rid us to satisfy their lives," Kai interrupts, "If we get off the island before they find us, they will believe we have faded away and return to their lives, happy and carefree. However, should they get to us before we can leave, just stay behind me and I will make sure they will not try to kill you before that alternative can be reached."

The girls look towards him again before nodding and heading over to Foxx, Missy helping her onto Starr's back, then follow Kai out of the cave.

* * *

Ryuta groans as he opens his eyes, trying to adjust to the blinding light overhead. He then sits up, finding a gray, wool blanket drop down to his waist as he sat on the metal floor of some kind of control room; his uniform picked clean of caked mud, leaving nothing but dirt water staining its black fabric; and his topknot undone, leaving his hair at a shoulder high, mildly wild, bunch.

"Hey! Welcome back to the conscious world, Ryu," Morris says as he and Derek almost stooped over the Ouendan leader.

"Where am I?" Ryuta moaned, throwing the blanket around his body as he repositions himself to a sitting position, leaning against the bare wall on the adjacent side of some cranks, dials and meters taking up the other side of the room.

"Inside the EBA sub," Derek said as he sat down on one of the stools bolted to the front of the controls, "Not exactly comfortable, but it's the only place we know of that's safe and warm."

"I've slept on harder surfaces," Ryuta sighs, pushing the bangs sagged over his right face out of the way to rub the eye hiding behind it.

"What surprises me, though, is how you handled bein' stuck in that bog," Morris said as he took out a yellow mug and picked up a plastic, transparent kettle, "I ain't never seen you swim through it like it was just another lake."

Ryuta puts his arm down, dropping the bangs back over the right side of his face, "Compared to watching people survive in the wilderness, and actually experiencing it, you can't help but wonder if the producers actually paid attention in geography before making movies based on getting lost in a jungle or forest."

Morris hands Ryuta the yellow mug as he looks inside to find it full of pitch black coffee. He just stares at it with a stupefied look on his face.

"Uh...you have drank coffee before, haven't you?" Morris asked, "It's the only drinkable liquid we could find aside from the cream."

"This is coffee?" Ryuta mutters, "It's so...black..."

"Well, when it comes to going on missions that last more than a day, it's always best to bring Chieftain's favorite brew of Joe," Derek said, "He can't behave properly without at least one cup of it."

Ryuta compresses his lips in hesitation before taking a small sip...and quickly spitting it on the floor beside him, coughing and gagging.

"How much caffeine did he cram into this Joe!?" he exclaims, staring at the mug again, even more stupefied than before.

"About the equivalence of twenty Bawls," the two said in unison. Ryuta groans in hesitation before handing the mug back to Morris.

"You know what, I think I'll have the cream," he said.

"So, what exactly happened to the badge you lost last night?" Derek asked as Morris hands Ryuta a different mug full of cream.

"Yeah," Morris continues while Ryuta took a sip out of the mug, "Did you lose in the quicksand along with half your provisions?"

Ryuta looks between Morris and Derek before sighing in remorse and staring down at the mug in his hand, "Yeah...something like that..."

"So the signals we picked up back at base...they weren't from Twist and Twirl, were they?" Derek asks quietly. Ryuta sighs again and lowers his head between his shoulders.

"I'm sorry... We only recovered their badges, but didn't know their homing chip still worked... We nearly got Chieftain killed because of it..." The two looked to each other in worry and disappointment before turning their focus back to Ryuta.

"Well, Chieftain may not be so forgiving at the moment," Morris said, "But even he knows that accidents happen. Give him a while longer, he might drop whatever plans he has to prove you guys as troublemakers."

Ryuta looks between the two back-ups before muffling a sigh and looking back down at the mug of cream in his hands.

* * *

Chieftain and Hajime trudged through the thick jungles, the top Agent keeping his nose on the radar while the rookie Ouendan eyes everything around him. The area is full of thick, tropical leaves and scattered ponds of thick, sticky tar, releasing a mildly foul odor with each pop of their near elastic bubbles. While it helped block out the horrendous stench of Chieftain's wound, Hajime felt suffocated just breathing it in.

"This place stinks worse than the La Brea Tar Pits," Hajime grumbles after a while, "Are you sure we should be walking through here?"

"It's better than trudging through mud and risk falling into quicksand, that's all I can say," Chieftain mutters, "At least here, we'll know where the pits are so we can avoid them." Hajime frowns a bit from the weakened tone of his voice.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked, "You don't sound too good."

"I'll be fine. It's just the stench of this odor." Just seconds after speaking, Chieftain nearly collapses to the ground. Hajime cringes as he rushes over to touch him only to have his hands knocked off.

"Don't touch me!" Chieftain exclaims, struggling back onto his feet, "The last thing I need is to have you stain your hands with my blood, freak out, and give me false alarms." Hajime grits his teeth, as the tall Agent continues onward, before reluctantly following after.

Another hour through the trudging journey, the two were interrupted by the sound of a screaming, male voice. They sharply turn to see Zeke fly though the bushes, arching his upper crocodile skull in preparation for an attack.

"Why!? Why won't you die, bad memories!" he yells as he charges towards Chieftain while swinging the skull. He quickly pivots out of the way, barely managing to get the pocket of his black pants shredded by the oncoming fangs. As a result of the impact, however, Twirl's badge slips out of the tears in his pocket and tumbles towards one of the tar pits behind him.

Hajime catches sight of the falling object and drops to the ground, swiping his arm out and grabbing it before the tip hits the surface of the tar. As he was getting back up, Zeke dives onto his shoulders, screaming and pulling what little hair bristled out of his head.

"Die, bad memories! DIE!!" he shrills as he swung his body around. Hajime struggles to keep his balance, but Zeke's starved feature had surprisingly heavy weight, causing the fifth swing to send them toppling into the very tar pit he pulled Twirl's badge out of.

Zeke screams louder at the burning pain of the tar pit, swinging his arms about as he began sinking into it. Hajime wasn't as sensitive to the hot, sticky substance, but his chances were just as bad. Being fatter than the psychopathic Agent, his descent had him up to his shoulders in less than a second. Wincing, Hajime grabs a branch sticking out a couple feet above the pit, about to pull himself out when he saw Twirl's badge between him and the wailing Zeke.

The rookie Ouendan keeps a firm grip on the branch as he reaches out towards it, hoping to repossess it before it sinks further into the tar. Zeke, meanwhile, turns his painstaking head to stare at Twirl's faded license, seeing her smiling picture printed at the bottom. His screams turn to horrendous shrieks as he thrashes his hands up and tears it out, trying to shred it while increasing his descent to his chin.

Hajime's bared teeth widens in frustration as he inches to the tip of the branch and reaches out to grab Zeke's wrist. But the split second his hand grasps tightly around the base, the wild Agent freaks out, madly jerking his arm and slamming Hajime into the wall of the cliff, snapping the tip of the branch and sending him halfway past his chin in tar.

Breathing heavily from the pressure around his neck and the increasing pain of the heat around his body, Hajime swung his arm against the surface, trying to free up some of his body. But the thick and stretchy substance did little to bring him back up. He turns his focus back to the branch he was knocked off of, reaching his left hand towards it only to brush the tip of his fingers along its wood surface.

"D...Damn..." he wheezed before his head vanished below the surface of the tar. Just as his arm was about to go with him, a hand suddenly grabs the wrist and, with one fell swoop, tears him from its gloppy jaws, sending him skidding a foot into the tall bushes. Hajime doesn't waste a second gasping and coughing while laying limp on his side.

"There, Gaki," Chieftain said as he shook some tar from his hand, "Now we're officially even."

"Huh...I'm never gonna get tired of hearing that, am I..." Hajime mutters breathlessly. Chieftain snorts and turns his gaze to the tar pit he pulled the rookie Ouendan out of.

"Better a troublemaker than a bastard child of Gollum and Freddy Krueger," he said. Hajime props himself onto his hands as he glances over the cliff of the bank to see Zeke's hands disappear into the tar, taking Twirl's badge with them, before sighing in frustration.

"So much for bringing back what's left of them..." he mutters.

"Forget about it," Chieftain said, "Compared to life, mementos are nothing more than props to remember them by." He then doubles over in pain, almost disappearing into the tall bushes as he grabs the wound on his side.

"Chieftain!?" Hajime yelps as he gets up and heads over to the tall agent, about to check on him when he saw trickles of blood seep through the gaps in his fingers. He nearly yells in fright while dropping to his rump and scooting back several feet, "Y-y-your wound! It's bleeding again!"

"Never should've pulled that hard," Chieftain grunts, "Look's like all the effort to heal me just sank with the badge."

Hajime hesitates, knowing if he put his tarry hands around Chieftain, they would seep into the wound and poison him. Before he could think of some way to move him, the bushes ahead of him began to rustle.

"I hear it! It's coming from this direction!" calls a familiar voice. Hajime snaps his head up to see Starr and Missy clamber through the tall bushes, the leader holding Foxx's legs while the follower held her arms. Kai emerges seconds later, stooping over his rookie companion and the BA-1 Agent. Hajime looks between him and Chieftain before scrambling to his feet.

"Kai! You gotta help him!" he exclaims, "His condition's getting worse, and I can't help him looking like this!"

Kai continues to stare at Chieftain before reaching down, grabbing the collar of his coat and hauling him over his shoulder, "Let us hurry then. There is no time left to debate."

He marches off into the darker part of the jungle as the two Divas and Hajime rush off after him.

End Notes:

"Nanra" is Japanese for "whatever".


	29. Episode 29: The Consequence of Failure

Episode 29: The Consequence of Failure

Having made it back to the sub and safely returned to the city, the small group of Agent, Ouendan and Diva wasted no time in flagging down the nearest hospital they could afford. Emergency doctors and nurses threw Foxx, Chieftain, and Hajime onto stretchers and carted them off into separate rooms, Foxx going to one room to cool her fever, Chieftain into another room to suture and dress his wound, and Hajime into a third room to examine for burns associated to the duration of his time trapped in the tar pit.

Missy and Starr watch from a window outside the room as the doctors pull Foxx's red chaps and black boots off before lowering her into a tub of ice and water. The silver haired Diva screams at the freezing cold temperature, blindly trying to fight off the helping hands only to have them increase. Missy trembles as she turns and covers her eyes from the event while Starr continues to watch, trying hard to stay strong for her friend and partner.

* * *

"So Chieftain actually saved you back on that island?" Derek asked a few hours after Hajime was submitted to a bed deep in the hospital room. The tar had been removed, revealing some mildly red marks along his face and arms. He had to wear a hospital gown while his uniform is cleaned of the remaining tar.

"Yeah..." Hajime said, pushing his glasses back a bit, "He claims it's out of debt, but I can tell he did more than just pay me back for trying to help him."

"Ryu said you had Twirl's badge earlier," Morris said, "Is it still with you?" Hajime looks over to him before sighing in remorse and looking down at the white covers surrounding his lower body.

"I did... But it got lost in the tar pit," he began rubbing his reddened arm, "I tried to get it back, but wound up with these burns instead."

"So the remains of our most iconic friends have completely faded from this world," Derek sighs in disappointment, "Look's like reminisce is the only thing that's gonna keep us going for as long as we remain in this business."

"I'm not worried," Morris said," Just 'cause we lost a few outstanding people doesn't mean we have to turn in our mics and look for a different career."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," Derek said with a cocky smirk, "We'll just hafta try harder to show the world what we're made of."

"Say," Morris began as he looks around the room, "Where'd Ryu go? I know Mr. Doumeki left to inform your family you won't be home 'til tomorrow morning, but I haven't seen where he ran off to."

"He said he was going to pay someone a visit," Hajime said, sighing a bit in remorse, "At least this one is more formal then the last."

"Last?" Derek asks, "Wha'chu mean by that?"

"It's...hard to explain right now..."

The two back-ups blink before looking to each other in curiosity.

* * *

Jago wanders down the streets of Brooklyn early the next morning with Saito close behind him, glancing around at the stores lining up the sidewalks.

"**I can't wait until Aniki comes home!**" he says excitedly, "**I wanna hear everything that happened on the island since the storm!**" Saito continues to follow after Jago, saying nothing and not looking too excited about the visit, before stopping and looking across the street. Jago glances to him, then follows his gaze to find Morris sneaking out of a "Build a Bear" workshop, holding a large, almost sloppily stitched teddy bear in his arms, "**Hey! It's that Agent we saw at the hotel in Las Vegas! What do you think he's doing with that raggy old bear?**"

Morris lugs the bear over to the red convertible and fiddles with a large ring of keys before hearing a voice chime behind him.

"Hi, Mr. Agent!"

He turns his head to see Jago and Saito standing behind him with their hands behind their backs.

"Oh, hey," he says, almost hesitant as he turns to face Jago, "You're Haji's brother, right? You 'n' Saito gonna go visit him?"

"Yep!" Jago said, "He suppose to be release today, so Atsushi-san and I want visit him, and maybe go to breakfast at Italian Restaurant!" He then turns his attention to the teddy bear in Morris' arms, "You make that yourself?"

Morris chuckles nervously, "Yeah. Would've been better, but I was pressed for time, so I had to finish it as fast as possible."

Saito gaits up to the teddy bear and pokes it with his finger, causing the stitches to come loose and send cotton raining onto the ground in front of them. The two freak out as Morris stares at the fabric in annoyance.

"Ah-no!" he groans, "I could've sworn I fastened the stitches tightly!"

"We sorry, Mr. Agent!" Jago yelps, "We buy you new one!"

"No time!" Morris complains as he grabs Jago and Saito's arms, "Quick! In the car!" he shoves them into the car and rushes to the driver's seat, turning the engine and driving off down the street towards the hospital.

* * *

Chietain grunts as he opens his eyes and glances around the white room the doctors moved him to last night. The first sight is a woman, exactly Ryuta's age, laying in another bed in front of him, her blackish-blue hair spilled around the mat and pillows. He grits his teeth in annoyance and regret.

"She cries herself to sleep every night," said a voice beside him. Chieftain turns his head to see a young, dark skinned girl sitting in another bed at the other end of the room. She had chocolate brown dreadlocks tied back in a loose ponytail, and her blue eyes appeared to be glazed, "Her brother slept by her side all night. He has such a soft snore."

"How did...?" Chieftain mutters in confusion.

"Oh...I'm sorry," the girl giggles, "My sight may be failing, but I can somehow tell who's in the room; sometimes by scent, and sometimes by hearing their voices." She then turns her head towards Chieftain, "Like the one leaning against the wall beside you."

Chieftain frowns as he whips his head around to see Hajime leaning against the wall near the door with his arms crossed and one leg tucked behind the other. He wore his clean and sanitized uniform, and hat, which Kai somehow picked up from a Lost and Found bin in the pier housing the cruise that was caught in the storm. The girl cocks her head to one side at the sudden air of silence filling the room.

"Are you two...friends?" she asked curiously. The two continued to stare before darting their heads in different directions.

"We'll...get back to you on that," they said in unison.

There was another minute of silence before Chieftain finally spoke up, "So why did you come here? I know it's not to see _her_."

"It was his idea to stick you in this room, not mine," Hajime said, "And the reason I came here is because I wanted to thank you for yesterday; when you helped me survive on that island."

Chieftain snorts a bit, "I should be saying the same myself. And I should probably apologize for accusing you of putting the agency in danger when it wasn't entirely your fault."

The room becomes silent again before a different voice grabs their attention.

"Hey Chaska!" Morris calls as he slips into the room, holding his hands in his pants pocket, "How's my little sister doin'?"

"Sister?" Hajime and Chieftain mutter in bewilderment.

"Ah, there you are, Morris," the girl says as her big brother waltzes over to her, "I was wondering if you'll ever show up."

"Oh, you know," Morris chuckles, "I got up really early, so I figured I look for something to show how much I really care about you."

Chaska giggles as she daintily slaps Morris on the shoulder, "Come on, brother. You know you don't have to get me anything to show your affection." She presses her finger on her cheek, "Though, just out of curiosity, what happened to that gift you were gonna get me."

"We...sorta trash it," laughs a nervous voice. Everyone, save Morris, turns to the door to see Jago and Saito walk in, rubbing the back of their heads and grinning sheepishly.

"Jago, Saito," Hajime said, almost surprised, "You came to see me?"

"Yeah!" Jago pipes up, "Mr. Agent real nice! Offered to take us to hospital in fancy red car with adjustable hood!" Saito nods in agreement.

Suddenly, the woman sitting in front of Chieftain's bed stirs and opens her eyes, giving out a more disturbing resemblance to Ryuta. Everyone turns to watch her glance around the room as though looking for someone, eventually fixing her gaze onto Chieftain and Morris; the superior compressing his lips and looking away while the third rank raises an eyebrow in curiosity.

At the sight of the two Agents, her eyes widen in terror as she grabs the curtains beside her and throws it across her, cutting off all eye contact. Jago furrows his eyebrows in confusion, about to head over to the woman when a hand whips out in front of him, blocking him from moving any closer. He looks up to see Ryuta stare down at him, rather sternly, before heading to the other side of the curtains.

"Uh...did I miss somethin'?" Morris mutters, "Why did she look at us like we was monsters?"

"It's 'cause we were at one point," Chieftain grumbles, crossing his arms, "Two years ago I made the mistake of accepting the hapless cries of a pimp who claimed she was being kidnapped by Ryuta, not realizing she was the one that needed help. In the end, she forcefully rejected his help and went back to that pimp, knowing if he continued to outrun us, he'd eventually get himself killed. And now he stuck me in this room, knowing I'd have to face the aftermath of my stubbornness."

"But why?" Jago asked, "Do they know each other from somewhere?"

"They didn't just know each other," Hajime mutters, "They were born from the same family. That woman behind the curtains...is Ryuta's twin sister..."

"His twin sister!?" Morris nearly yelps.

* * *

Rytua pushes the curtains a bit as he walks in and pulls them back, seeing his sister hunched over and grabbing her head in sorrow and agony. He remains stern as he sits on a stool and places a hand on her shoulder, causing her to whip around and face him.

"Faiya," he mutters as he sits back and takes his arms off his sister's shoulder, using his hands to perform sign language while talking, "**I'm sorry I left while you were still asleep. I had to use the bathroom.**" Faiya trembles a bit as she folds her hands and cups them over her mouth. Ryuta places his hand on her shoulder to redraw her attention, using his other hand to continue his sign language, "**Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay by you until he's well enough to leave.**"

Faiya continues to tremble as though Ryuta wasn't giving her enough reassurance. He sensed there was something else going on that made her hate the Agents more than their last encounter. What it was he couldn't make out...until he noticed an unusually large bulge in her stomach. Before he could ask, the curtains adjacent to where he sat flew open as a chubby, squat nurse with pink hair walks towards Faiya, holding a tray of pills and a cup of water.

"Faiya, dear!" she says, "Time for your medicine!" She then notices Ryuta and cocks her head to one side, "Oh, my, isn't this a surprise? She never let's any visitors come this close to her, especially the men."

Ryuta immediately stands up, keeping his hand on Faiya's shoulder, "I'm her brother. Is everything okay?"

"Her brother?" the nurse says before beaming with excitement and rushing over to Ryuta, dropping the tray onto the table beside him, grabbing his hands and pulling them up, "That's perfect! You're just the candidate we were looking for!"

"Candidate?" Ryuta mutters curiously before the nurse tugs on his hands.

"Come along now! We don't want to keep her waiting!" the nurse pipes up. Ryuta was about to submit to her tugging when Faiya suddenly grabs the tail of his gakuran trench coat, keeping him from going any farther. He turns to see her eye's twitch with agony and terror, increasing his suspicion of something he may regret.

The nurse looks over to Faiya before releasing Ryuta and planting her hands on her thighs, "Faiya!" she then took her hands off and swung them around in the form of sign language, "I'm sorry, but since you refused to commit, we had to find someone trusting enough to do the work for you! We have to make room for more deliveries!" her last sign involved her folding her arms and swinging them back and forth as though to rock a baby.

"Deliveries?" Ryuta mutters, even more unsure of the outcome he was about to enter.

"Ah, don't worry," the nurse said with a wave of her hand, "You'll understand when we get there."

Ryuta compresses his lips before turning around and placing his hands on Faiya's shoulders.

"**I'll be right back,**" he said, "**Don't worry.**" Faiya continues to tremble as the nurse heads out of the curtains, followed shortly by Ryuta.

The familiar group saw him walk out of the curtains, following the nurse towards the door.

"Ryuta? What's going on?" Hajime asked.

"I don't know," Ryuta said, "Faiya's insisting I don't go, but I want to know why she's upset. I'm sure it's no big deal." He then heads out of the room after the nurse.

Chieftain sighs a bit as he looks at his hands gripping the sheets around his lower body, "Considering she was hired by some pimp, I'm fretting it's something bad."

"If Ippongi-san sister say something, he already know what going on," Jago said, looking over to Hajime, "But all I hear is talking, but no response."

"That's because she's deaf, Jago," Hajime said, "Most likely a birth defect caused by being born under the same womb. It's also a possibility her deafness was the reason she's so timid and reclusive. Spending most of her life in a city where everyone takes advantage of her lack of hearing to rape and torment her. It's a miracle Ryuta's welfare is the only thing keeping her alive in the hell that's America's negativity."

"But, couldn't she go back to Japan?"

"She could've... But she either can't afford it or the pimp preached she'll eventually come back to him. She must've thought he would use everything he can think of to drag her back to his disgusting hands; adoption papers, amendments, even call EBA when someone tries to rescue her, taking advantage of their dependency on computers to claim she's been kidnapped, and convince them to help him get her back."

"When you said adoption papers, you meant to say she was adopted?" Morris asked.

"I don't know much, only what Ryuta told me when I joined," Hajime said, "Their parents were killed in a fire at the age of six, and wound up in an orphanage deep in Evening City. Two years later, Faiya was adopted by an American immigrant who claimed he wanted a girl in his family. Ryuta didn't know she would be sold as a prostitute 'til Seijin Day, when he decided to check up on her to see how she's fairing with her life. His result turned the most important day of his life into a disaster, abandoning the party we were setting up for him and swimming overseas to try and save her from that malicious pimp. Like he threatened, he called for the Agents and used their talents and energy to try and chase him down. Faiya didn't want Ryuta to be in danger so she forced him to return her."

"After that incident," Chieftain continues, "The Commander had the Em-O-Meter checked over and updated, hoping it would perform better and keep us from running into anymore problems. But even that won't reverse the damage already done to his sister."

"Well," Chaska pipes up, sounding scolding, "I hope that incident taught you a lesson in taking one piece of evidence and using it as a reason to respond to such rude people. Maybe now you'll turn over every rock before knowing what's best."

Chieftain nearly cringes from the lecture and looks down at his hands again while the others chuckled a bit at his slight embarrassment.

"Don't worry," Morris said, "I'm sure, after being stuck on that island for two days, he'll know better than to think he can accomplish everything."

"Don't push it, Morris," Chieftain growls.

Just then, they hear footsteps coming into the room. Everyone turns to see Ryuta standing between the doorframes with a horrified look on his face.

"Hey, Ryu," Morris said, "You look like you'd seen a..." he suddenly trails off as everyone's focus drops to his arms; Chieftain compressing his lips and looking away while the rest shared the Ouendan leader's horrified expression.

Laying in Ryuta's arms is a baby girl, wrapped in a pink blanket, cooing and stretching her arms out towards him. Ice blue hair bristled from her newborn head as she squeals and coos for his attention.

Faiya looks over to Ryuta, catching sight of the baby in his arms. Trembling in more agony, she grabs the curtains and throws them shut, grabbing his attention as he looks over to her, sensing a hateful rejection that indicates he can't go near her with the baby still in his arms.

"Faiya..." he mutters remorsefully.

"Ryuta...?" Hajime squeaks, still staring at the baby in Ryuta's arms, "W...where did you...?"

Ryuta just compresses his lips and looks back down to the baby waving her hands towards him, reflecting back to the moment he wound up with this...mess.

* * *

The chubby nurse leads Ryuta down a long hallway, passing by wandering patients, some carting IV fluids. They eventually reach a part of the hallway with a spanning window on one wall, showing a room full of newborn babies, some with blue blankets for the males, and others with pink blankets for the females. This made him feel even more uneasy; assuming the reason for Faiya's refusal to let him go had something to do with what's behind the glass.

Another nurse comes out of the room, holding a wailing, baby girl in her arms. She resembled the chubby nurse, but with brown hair instead of pink. Ryuta focuses on the baby in her arms, sensing an undying urge for attention...from Faiya.

The chubby nurse laughs as she skips over to her thinner co-worker, slapping her on the shoulder, "Good news, Cass!" she then turns and presents a hand towards Ryuta, "We got ourselves a worthy foster parent for Faiya's child."

"N-nani!?" Ryuta nearly exclaims, taking a step back. Cass looks over to the aggravated Ouendan, furrowing her eyebrows in worry.

"Ms. White, I'm not sure we should do this," she said.

"Why's that?"

"Well, they're twins. According to psychological studies, their interests are nearly identical. If Faiya's not going to take care of this baby, what makes you think he will?"

"Oh, you're just bein' superstitious! They're fraternal! Gender isn't the only thing that sets them apart!" she began pushing Cass towards Ryuta, seeing his aggravated scowl increase as he backs away from them, completely reluctant to accept the responsibility that's been the result of Faiya's nightmarish childhood.

"Ms. White!" Cass yelps, "Ms. White, stop! He's having enough heartbreak as it is! Don't make him do something that's going to haunt him the rest of his life!"

"Oh, c'mon! He's just shy, that's all! All he needs is a push in the right direction!" She finishes by slapping Cass on the back, sending her stumbling towards Ryuta. Unable to free up her hands long enough to regain her balance, she tumbles to the floor, accidentally tossing the baby in the process. Ryuta blinks in shock as he instinctively dives towards her, catching her before she hits the hard, tiled floor below them.

In the split second they made contact, the baby stops crying, looking up to Ryuta who blinks and snaps his shocked gaze towards her. She looked stunned at first, but soon sports a toothless smile as she reaches her arms up, begging to be hugged. The two nurses watch before the chubby one laughs and walks over to Ryuta, slapping her hand onto his back.

"Congratulations, kid! You're an uncle!" she laughs to a still shocked Ryuta.

* * *

Later that day at the Tanaka apartment in Brooklyn, Hajime's grandfather comes out of the kitchen, seeing the Ouendan rookie sitting on the couch with Saito and Suzuki, watching MTV while sipping on a can of soda.

"Ah, Hajime," he began, "**Feeling better, I see.**"

"**Yeah,**" Hajime said, "**Still can't get over the sensation from these burns, though.**"

"**Don't worry, Hajime. I'm sure you'll forget about it in a couple of days.**" The grandfather cocks his head to one side, "**And what about Ippongi-san? I heard you, Jago and Atsushi-san weren't the only ones coming back here today.**" the three remain silent a second before turning their nose up and closing their eyes in annoyance.

"**Uncle Ryuta is being as big of a baby as the kid sitting BEHIND HIM!**" they said in unison.

"**Will you stop calling me 'uncle'!**" Ryuta exclaims, sitting on the floor three feet from the couch while resting his crossed arms on his Indian-style crossed knees, "**I already told you I don't want anything to do with the brat!**"

"**You're being ridiculous, Ryuta,**" Hajime argues, eyeing the one-month-old baby leaning onto Ryuta's back while reaching for one of his bandana tails, "**You know it wasn't the kid's fault your sister was raped in the first place! So stop pretending she's the worst nightmare you ever had and play with her!**"

Ryuta snaps his head over to Hajime, "**If you care about her so much, why don't you take care of her instead of just sitting there and watching Beastie Boys videos!?**"

"**Because my last name isn't Ippongi.**"

"**That's ridiculously bogus, and you know it!**"

Ryuta suddenly feels his head jerk to the right, causing him to topple onto his side. The baby had gotten a hold of the tails on his bandana seconds before slipping off his back, refusing to let go until she landed on her side, taking the Ouendan leader with her. She stares at him a few seconds before tossing the tails to the side and waving her arms up and down, squealing and giggling at his comical disposition.

The grandfather chuckles at the stupefied look on Ryuta's face, "**Isn't that cute? The mighty Ouendan leader's been brought down by his own niece.**" Ryuta drops to his stomach and turns an annoyed glare at the giggling baby.

"I'll give you something to laugh about, you LITTLE BRAT!!" he yells as he snatches her off the floor and springs to his feet, flailing and spinning her around in a playful gesture. The baby squeals with delight as she feels her lower body rise off the ground from the speed of the swings.

Five minutes of play swinging later, Ryuta stops, breathing heavily as he continues to glare at his unfortunate niece staring back at him with innocent eyes and wide smile, which suddenly fades at the sound of a grumbling tummy. Everyone watched as she squints her face before screaming at the top of her lungs, tears flying out like a fountain. Saito and Suzuki panic while Hajime covers his ears to drown out the loud noise.

"**I think it's time for lunch!**" Hajime shouts.

"**My, it sure is,**" the grandmother giggles as she heads into the living room with a warm bottle of milk formula, "**A lucky thing this bottle cooled enough to drink.**"

Saito and Suzuki quickly scramble off the couch and over to Ryuta, snatching the bottle in the process. They yank the baby from him and crouch down towards the floor, Saito holding the baby while Suzuki tries to get the rubber nipple into her mouth. Their towering figure and gruff faces, however, scared her more than them as she wiggles and screams refusing to accept the bottle.

"**She's not drinking! She's not drinking!**" Suzuki panics, "**Are you sure the bottle's cool enough to drink!?**"

"**Of course,**" the grandmother mutters nervously, "**I tested it before coming out here.**"

Ryuta grabs the wailing baby and the bottle and tears them from his cohorts' hands, "**Gimme that, you morons!**" he marches towards the couch, grumbling, "**This' why the nannies wouldn't let you near the babies in the orphanage...!**"

Hajime's gaze follows Ryuta as he flops down on the couch, cradling the baby in his left arm while holding the bottle at an angle towards her mouth. She immediately stops crying, staring at the bottle a second before grabbing and pulling it into her mouth, chewing on the nipple to squeeze out the milk formula.

"**Ippongi-sama's so mean!**" Suzuki whines. Hajime snaps his head back to find his and Saito's back turned towards them, running their forefinger on the soft carpet and sobbing in misery, "**He's always playing with the cute little babies at the orphanage! It's not our fault those mean old nannies keep pushing us away when we try to get close to them...!**"

"And now I know why..." Hajime grumbles nervously. He suddenly senses a flicker of happiness and turns his head to see Ryuta smiling as he continues to watch the baby drink the formula from the bottle in his hand.

Hajime blinks in surprise before smiling a bit himself. Look's like Ryuta's finally seen the positive side of the nightmarish disaster Faiya had to endure most of her life.

* * *

Early the next morning, Ryuta stirs at the sound of faint fussing, muffling a groan as he laid on his left under the blanket of his sleeping futon, his ribbon and bandana pulled off to let his hair spill out onto his pillow.

"**This beats having Kai blast his air horn in our faces...**" he grumbles, shifting his body onto his stomach while bringing his left arm out from under his blanket and dropping it on the futon near his face. His frown increases as he rubbed the around the left corner before jerking his head up and looking at the same area, expecting to find something laying there.

Immediately after realizing something was missing, two cries filled the room, forcing him to grab the pillow and throw it over his head as he looks around to find blankets tossed everywhere, indicating that everyone was up and about.

"Saito, Suzuki!" he yells as he throws the pillow off to one side and springs to his feet, "You better not be coddling that kid again!" he marches into the living room to find it completely vacant of everyone except the younger occupants of the apartment. Aimay stood a foot from the baby, both crying while Jago snaps his head between the two, trying to figure out who to calm down first.

"Ippongi-san!" Jago yelps after seeing the Ouendan leader walk into the room, "**They got into a tug-o-war over Aimay's sock monkey and accidentally tore in half! Aimay started crying and your niece did the same for no reason!**"

"**Really?**" Ryuta said, not looking fazed or upset. He crouches down and picks the baby up, gently rocking her until she stopped crying and tried to reach for him, babbling and cooing, "You're going to be a regular troublemaker for your Mama, aren't you?"

Jago and Aimay, after finally calming down, watched as Ryuta saunters over to the couch and sits down, picking up an already prepared bottle and holding it towards the baby, who grabs the corner and sticks the nipple in her mouth to suckle. A few minutes into the feeding, he sensed a couple of curious presences and looks beside the couch to see the two younger Tanakas standing near the armrest,observing him curiously.

"**Is...something wrong?**" he asked.

"**It's so eerie...**" Jago mutters, "**Seeing you so gentle with a baby.**"

"**What's so eerie about that? I babysat you and your sister when Hajime was off in America over the summer.**"

"First off, Aimay was two when my parents stuck them with you," said a voice that nearly startled everyone. They turn to see Hajime leaning his left hand on the doorframe to the kitchen while resting his right on his side, leering at Ryuta annoyingly, "Also, no offense, but spending 2500yen on nothing but ice cream and candy, then letting them run wild in the backyard of the dojo 'til they collapse from exhaustion is not what I would call proper babysitting skills."

"Hey, it worked didn't it?" Ryuta snorts, "It not only got your siblings to like us, but also made your parents stop using them as some annoying prop to make us strip your armband and kick you out of the squad."

"It's a miracle Ouendan had enough reliability to avoid a lawsuit and disbandment! Don't forget, it took the destruction of that meteor to get them to realize just how much of an importance Ouendan is to Japan and convince them to let me stay!"

"Excuse me, shouldn't you be at work?" Ryuta growls in annoyance, "Why're you still here telling me how to take care of a child?"

"I was at work...until our stool pigeon of followers went and blabbed about your unfortunate jump to unclehood!" Hajime pushes off the wall and plants his left hand on his side, "Then Kai went and joked that your bonding would involve excessive amounts of sugar and laps around the living room before she wears herself to sleep! Oba-san took it seriously and told me to take the rest of the week off to teach you how to properly raise a child!"

"That's ridiculous! I already know how to take care of a child! I don't need a coach to tell me how!"

"You only think you know how to take care of a child because you spent two years in an orphanage with adults watching everything that went on! That's no similar to rearing a child by yourself!"

"Of course it is! And I have ways of keeping her happy without having to spend a single yen or penny!"

"Oh really?" Hajime crosses his arms, "And what, pray tell, would that be?"

End Notes:

For those of you who haven't read _Hatachi, _Seijin Day is a Japanese celebration for those who have, or are about to, turn 20 which, in Japan, is considered the rightful age to adulthood. It's always celebrated on the first Monday of January and, as opposed to how 20-years-old should be pronounced in Japanese (Nii-juu sai), most (or all) would pronounce the age of twenty as "hatachi".


	30. Episode 30: Overcoming Challenges

Episode 30: Overcoming Challenges

"This is your idea of keeping her happy?" Hajime grumbles flatly. He stood behind Ryuta, who's crouched in front of the baby and shaking a kitty-shaped rattle in front of her. The leader had a large, red cloth tied to his back, loose enough to fit a small child, with the Ouendan emblem on the center. The baby wore a red, foot-covered pajama with a yellow kitty on the chest.

"What're you so worried about?" Ryuta asks as the baby took the rattle and shakes it around, hearing it meow several times, "It's free and convenient."

"Convenient!?" Hajime exclaims, throwing his hands in the air, "You snuck your niece into Central and turned the holodeck into a nursery!" They stood in the middle of a large, pink-walled nursery with mountains of toys at one end of the room and a crib in the center.

Ryuta turns his head slightly to eye Hajime in unexpressed annoyance, "And...your point?"

Hajime's eyebrow twitches several times as he drops his arms to his side, "A park would be a more suitable place to play with a child instead of some cramped, shape-shifting room. There's a large playground just south of Queens I take Jago and Aimay to for a couple hours of outdoor activities." Ryuta snorts and turns his focus back to the baby, who began giggling and swinging the rattle around like a wand.

"Well then, you handle your siblings your way, and I'll handle my niece my way." Hajime opens his mouth to protest when the holodeck doors fly open. He and Ryuta turn to see Missy, Starr, Spin, J, and Morris walk in, glancing around at the infant setting of the room.

"Whoa! What happened here?" Spin asks curiously. Missy spots the baby and squeals with delight.

"Eee! She's so cute!" she coos as she walks over to the baby and crouches down to her, "Is she yours, Ryu!?"

"For now," Ryuta said as Starr and Spin ran over for a closer look.

"Aw! How adorable! She's enjoying the rattle you made for her!" Starr giggles.

"Yeah! Let's see what else we can give her to play!" Spin pipes up. Hajime nearly explodes.

"What do you think she is, a Tamagotchi!?" he exclaims, "Quit enticing them to keep up this bullcrap!"

"You're so stingy, Haji," Missy groans.

"Yeah," Starr snorts, "You probably don't know the first thing about taking care of a baby!" Hajime flinches in offense before throwing his fingers towards him in a fit of anger.

"Hello! Eldest boy of the family! Experienced childcare for ten years! Doesn't that mean anything to you!?" the group surrounding the baby just stared at Hajime before turning their backs to him and focusing on her.

"So what do you think we should make for her?" Missy asked.

"How about a robotic cat?" Starr suggest, "One that's durable and tolerates little kids."

"Oh! And maybe a Jack-in-the-box!" Spin chimes in, "I ain't seen them since I was a pup!"

"In one ear and right out the other," J mutters nervously as he and Morris watched Hajime drop his head against the nearest wall in frustration.

"So sucks to be the oldest brother in the family..." Morris mutters.

"So, what's her name, Ryu?" Missy asks while Starr and Spin began pressing buttons on a holographic keypad beside them. Ryuta glances towards her before returning to the center of attention staring back at him happily.

"I...haven't thought of one..." he mutters, "This all happened so suddenly, it didn't even cross my mind."

Missy presses her finger onto her cheek before looking back to Ryuta, "I know! Why not call her Dolly?"

The entire room stares at her, dumbfounded, "Dolly!?"

"Why not?" Missy protests, "She looks like a doll, so it must be befitting!" she looks back over to the baby, smiling widely, "Isn't that right, Dolly?" the baby just stares at her, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"What's all this?" snaps a sudden voice. Everyone turns to the holodeck doors to see Kahn standing in front of them with crossed arms and an annoyed frown.

"Haven't you seen a nursery before?" Ryuta asked rhetorically.

"I know what this is," Kahn retorts, his frown tightening, "I want to know why it's here!?"

"Ryu's just playing with his little niece," Missy chimes.

"Yeah," Starr says, "A perfect way for them to get along, and for us to gain her affection!"

"Somehow, I don't think this is the fastest way to gain anything from anyone," J mutters.

"Oh, and what makes you so sure?" Starr snorts, "You never mentioned having a child or being left to take care of one."

J crosses his arms in defiance, "My dogs provide enough experience for me to understand that it takes more than a mountain of toys that magically appear out of nowhere to gain trust and happiness from new faces."

"But this is a BABY we're dealing with," Missy points out, "Baby's don't know how to own up to their needs."

"And spoiling her rotten is the only way to help her understand that!?" Hajime exclaims, "Keep this up and she'll grow up thinking the entire world revolves around her!"

"All the more reason to keep her happy!" the group surrounding Dolly chimed. Hajime groans in frustration as he slaps his hand over his eyes and slumps in defeat while J rubs his temples in annoyance.

"You SERIOUSLY need a crash course in childcare," Morris mutters nervously.

Kahn, meanwhile, twitches his eyebrows before reaching outside and pressing a button on a row of keys beside the holodeck doors. The rattle vanishes from Dolly's hand as the entire nursery reverts back to an empty room of yellow lines. Everyone turned their attention towards him, the spoilers looking very annoyed.

"What's up, Commander!?" Spin complains.

"The holodeck is NOT a toy," Kahn states, "The only reason we have one is so we can train ourselves for future missions and strengthen our awareness!"

"That's so unfair, Commander!" Missy protests, "We use the holodeck for other purposes all the time!"

"That doesn't mean it should be used as a playground for children! There could be glitches in the hardware that can harm anyone foolish enough to activate them. And I will not stand by and be held responsible for any injury or damage caused by recklessly spoiling that child rotten!" Kahn thrusts his finger towards the door, "Now get out of the holodeck and take her somewhere else!"

Ryuta wrinkles his nose in annoyance as he picks Dolly up, slips her into the red sling on his back, and carries her out of the room, the rest following suit.

"Man, I can't believe the Commander!" Spin complains, "What could be so bad about lettin' a kid play in here."

"Well, I wouldn't blame him if we did cause a problem in the holodeck," Starr sighs, "He was the one who monitored its construction, so he has more experience with the technology."

"But there isn't anything for Dolly to do!" Missy complains, "How's she supposed to be happy if we can't let her play anywhere."

"Have ANY of you been to a playground more than once?" Morris asked, "I hear they have a lot of things to keep kids amused, and a great way to make new friends."

"No way!" Starr yelps, "Take her to some outdoor sandbox!? Have you no fun!?"

"She's never been to a park before," Hajime proclaims, "What makes you think she won't like it?"

"If you really want her to have fun and make friends, try a place that has more for kids to play with!" Missy suggest.

"Oh yeah, that sounds like a lot of fun," J mutters sarcastically, "Taking a two-month-old baby to some Chuck-E-Cheese-like parlor where older kids find winning tickets and playing video games more exciting than sitting at a table and talking like boring grown-ups."

"Let's figure this out after lunch," Ryuta said, "It's almost noon and I don't want her crying while we're sitting here, debating."

"Hey! We can do that down at Chuck E Cheese!" Spin chirps, "That way, she won't have to wait until after lunch to have fun!"

"Yeah! Let's hurry and head down there before it's too late!" Missy and Starr pitch in. They, along with Spin, attempt to rush off only to meet J, Morris, and Hajime's fingers nearly stabbing them in the forehead.

"No!" J began.

"You!" Morris continues.

"Don't!" Hajime finishes. The three spoilers turn their backs on them and slump to their knees, rubbing their index fingers on the floor in remorse.

"That's so not fair!" Missy cries.

"Why do they get to hang out with the baby!" Starr whines.

"We wanna play with her too!" Spin grumbles. J and Morris just stare at them with a dumbstruck cringe.

"That is the most disappointing display I have ever seen..." J mutters.

"Please tell me they aren't gonna do this during an actual mission," Morris moans.

"Let's get out of here before they come back to their senses and find some way of making us change our mind," Hajime said while pushing an agitated Ryuta down the hallway.

* * *

"Whatever happened to staying out of my business and letting me take care of her?" Ryuta grumbled as he sat in the passenger seat of the hummer with Dolly sitting on his lap.

"There's more to raising a child than giving her love and affection," Hajime said as he drove the hummer down the town outside the Adirondack Mountains, "She needs to know discipline and respect, both of which will keep her safe and protected throughout her life."

"Chii, it's bad enough that I'm stuck lugging you around for the first year of her life," Ryuta grumbles before eyeing the second to back seats, "But did you have to bring a dog trainer and the brother of a blind woman into this!?"

"Hey! I resent that!" Morris groused as he sat behind Hajime with his arms crossed.

"Just because our responsibilities are different from yours doesn't mean we can't combine our knowledge and help out anyway we can," J protests as he sat behind Ryuta with his arms crossed and his left ankle sitting on his right knee.

"They seem to have more on-hand experience taking care of beings who couldn't take care of themselves," Hajime said, "There's no reason not to let them help you raise your niece for as long as your sister continues to deny she ever exists."

"Why can't you just let me handle this instead of telling me what I already know?" Ryuta complains.

"If Kai hadn't boasted about your trump card I would've been happy to let you handle that kid 'til you came crying to me for help!"

Ryuta snaps his head over to Hajime in annoyance, "Oh, so it's my fault I got a personal trainer hounding me like a retard with an IQ of a quarter tenth!?"

Hajime jerks his head towards Ryuta in the same manner, "Yes, as a matter of fact, it is! Your lack of experience with babysitting not only spiked our budget, but nearly scared my parents into suing you for child endangerment!"

"Uh, guys?" Morris mutters, "Can't this wait 'til we get to the dojo?"

"I had no problems handling your brother and sister when they were dumped on our doorstep two years ago!"

"You flopped them in front of the TV for five hours, gave them a daruma and a kendama to play with; the only control you had over them is bribing them with candy to get them to eat what you put on the table! You may as well ask them what else they want to do to drive you further out of business!"

"I only did what any typical babysitter would do to keep their kids calm and happy!"

"You only did half of what a typical babysitter would do! You atta be lucky I didn't call Yatto down here to help you rear your niece!"

Upon hearing the name, Ryuta almost yanks Dolly off his lap and hugs her tightly with a look of hysteria on his otherwise bold face, "You wouldn't dare!"

"Oh, I would! In fact, if Jonouchi and Morris hadn't stepped up to the plate, HE would've been the best choice to make sure she's getting the proper care she needs!"

Morris mentally panics as he looks over to J, "Aren't you gonna do somethin'!?"

The pompadour-haired Agent only cringes slightly, "You kiddin'!? I ain't setting foot in their crossfire!" Morris' panic turns physical as he looks at the cars slowing to a stop in front of a red light.

"Are you nuts!? J, if you don't stop them, they gonna-!" Morris is immediately cut off when Hajime inadvertently hits the brakes, stopping the hummer 2 dangerous inches from the red Sudan in front of them, and almost sending him flying into the back of the front seat. The two Ouendan continue to glare at each other in anger, almost oblivious to the fiasco they nearly caused.

"You know what, Ryuta?" Hajime seethed, "You can go ahead and cling to that little fantasy of yours!" he points towards the lead Ouendan, "But by the time I finish lunch, you're gonna be asking for more than a bowl of rice!"

"Bite me!" Ryuta growled as the two jerked their heads in front of them.

"Why do I have a feeling this isn't gonna end well?" J mutters nervously.

"I dunno," Morris strains, laying lopsided against the backseat with his fedora almost covering his ear, "Try askin' me again when I finish swallowing my heart..."

* * *

Ryuta sat on one of the cushions surrounding the 2ft dining table, in the middle of the Adirondack dojo, glancing down to Dolly, who laid beside him, sound asleep on another cushion with the red cloth he used to carry her now acting as her blanket. She appears content after her earlier feeding and doesn't seem fazed by everything around her, not even to the sound of Hajime preparing a more hearty meal for the rest of the occupants in the dojo.

With Dolly now asleep, Ryuta had nothing to do to kill time. Bouncing his knees in boredom, he scans the room until he finds a _Baby Blues_ comic book sitting on the wood table in front of him. He curiously picks it up, reading front and back covers before pulling it open and reading the collection of daily funnies inside.

* * *

"I don't mean to judge your confidence," Morris mutters as he watches Hajime chop vegetables in the kitchen, "But don't you think it's a bit soon to expect an 'I told you so' from Ryu?"

"He's gonna be begging for our help, just you wait," Hajime declares, scrapping the vegetables into a frying pan, "Cute and innocent as that kid is, it's going to reach a point where she'll eventually become a problem that won't even be stopped by Ryuta's little sugar bomb."

Morris listens to the sound of the vegetables sizzling in the pan before turning his attention back to Hajime, "Say, who's this Yatto guy you mentioned earlier? Ryu nearly died when you brought him up for childcare 101."

"An old buddy who stops by every now and then," Hajime said while shaking some spices into the frying pan, "He's actually a timid and easy-going guy...when he's not in charge of disciplining us..."

"You make it sound like he's a nightmare when he gets angry," Morris mutters as he watches Hajime pick up a pot holder and grab the handle of the frying pan.

"Oh, he does more than give us nightmares." Hajime shakes and flips the pan around, mixing the spices in with the vegetables "He has the power to do just about anything to discipline us. Not even Kai could outmatch him in a one-on-one brawl."

Morris cringes slightly, "He can even pin down Mr. Doumeki? He must be a real monster!"

"Kai doesn't think so. He claims its normal behavior," Hajime takes out a pair of chopsticks and picks up one of the chopped vegetables, sticking it in his mouth and chewing on it for taste, "Not surprising, since he is Kai's older brother."

"Older brother!?" Morris nearly yelps, stumbling back, "He's Mr. Doumeki's older brother!?"

"Don't be so surprised," Hajime said, looking over to Morris with a neutral look on his face, "He may be hard hitting, but he can be quite friendly. I'm sure you two will get along just fine if he met you."

"Well, from the look of things, I think you should call this Yatto guy soon," J said as he walked into the kitchen, "Cause it doesn't look like Ryu's gonna come crawling to you for help before lunch is finished."

"Oh? What's he doing now?" Hajime asked, not bothering to look up from his cooking to acknowledge the BA-2 Agent's presence. J turns to the doorway separating the kitchen from the living room, seeing Ryuta sitting in front of the 2ft table, reading the _Baby Blues_ book he found earlier.

"He's just sittin' there, reading that comic book you dropped on the table earlier," he said. Hajime just snorts and dumps the seasoned vegetables onto a large plate, decorating the edges with parsley, spinach, and sliced oranges.

"Hmm...! That's it?" J asks, "You're just gonna let him sit there and read a collection of daily funnies? How's that going to hit him with a dose of reality!?"

"You don't know Ryuta," Hajime said, not looking at the dumbstruck looks on the two Agents' faces, "You give him reading material that doesn't have a shred of action in it, he'll just read the preface and toss it on the shelf for the bookworms to dine on."

"And how's a comic book gonna...?" Morris is immediately cut off by Ryuta barging into the kitchen and towards Hajime, who pats a pile of rice onto a small white bowl. The rookie doesn't give much of an acknowledgement other than handing the bowl to the leader, which he snatches and pays with a sneering glare.

"You're despicable!" he seethed before marching out of the kitchen with the rice in tow. It was obvious the _Baby Blues_ comic did more than give Ryuta a good laugh.

J and Morris stare at the doorway a moment before turning to Hajime, surprisingly neutral.

"Say, can we borrow that when you're done?" they asked.

* * *

Lunchtime at the dojo was rather quiet, save the sounds of utensils hitting dishes, as the small group spent more time eating than striking up some kind of normal conversation. Dolly sat beside Ryuta, slapping around a Daruma almost half her size, giggling as it sways back to a standing position after a reasonable hit.

Just then, the doors slide open, letting in the glow of early afternoon pour in around a large shadow stepping inside. The adults turn towards the source of the shadow and noise to see Kai kick his geta sandals off while stepping further into the living room, taking notice of the area around him before noticing the unfamiliar face sitting beside Ryuta, oblivious to everything but the swaying Daruma before her.

"Mr. Doumeki," J said, "You're home early."

"Crowd was light today," Kai said, "They decided to let us off early to help Ryuta handle his niece."

"Oh, that's wonderful," Ryuta grumbles sarcastically as he goes back to eating his wonton soup, "Dog training and handicap pushing isn't enough. Now I'm about to be coached by the only member of the squad who took childcare a little too seriously?"

"Unlike you and the other Ouendan, Kai has better manners, and knew how to keep Jago and Aimay calm and happy with what he gives them," Hajime said sternly, "He doesn't break under pressure and resort to bribes to gain their trust and attention."

"Seriously?" Morris asked in surprise as Kai saunters over to Dolly, "That's great, knowing you ain't the only one in the squad who knows how to properly take care of a child."

Dolly noticed the area around her blanket itself in a large shadow. Looking up, she sees Kai stooping over her with a stern frown and his arms crossed, seeming to study her cute, babyish appearance. It only took one word to send everyone's hopes and confidence crashing to earth like a hail of comets.

"KAWAII!!" Kai suddenly shouts in a disturbingly high-pitched voice. Morris and J nearly scramble away from him while Ryuta and Hajime continued eating with nothing more than annoyed twitches on their right eyebrow.

"I'll say he's well mannered; when he's not being spied on by his older brother," Ryuta grumbles in more sarcasm.

"You sure you don't need Yatto helping you out with the welfare of your niece?" Hajime mutters embarrassingly.

Dolly whimpers as Kai reaches down and picks her up, holding her in front of his hideously cheerful face. Frightened, she tries to wiggle free while the Ouendan chief obliviously makes baby talk to her.

"Uh...Mr. Doumeki..." J mutters, "I don't think she likes how you're handling her..."

"Nonsense!" Kai declares, bringing Dolly into a surprisingly harmless bear hug while she began fussing and reaching for Ryuta, "She is just shy is all!" Dolly stares screaming and crying as Kai gently rubs her head, "She will lighten up once she gets to know me better!"

Ryuta yanks Dolly out of Kai's arms, trying to contain his annoyance as she grabs the ribbons on his shoulders and clings to his chest in fright, "On second thought, I think being bossed around by your brother is a whole lot better than being surrounded by a bunch of oddball specialists."

"Oddball!?" Kai exclaims his face twisted in rage as his spiritual fire nearly explodes to twice his own size, "How dare you call me someone with the I.Q. of a gnat!" J and Morris nervously hid behind Hajime, expecting the worse from the monstrous Ouendan. Instead, his fire vanishes and he turns his back to the rest of the group, hunched to the floor and fingering it in agony, "I just wanted to play with your niece! Is that so much to ask!?"

The smaller group just stares at Kai, dumbfound, dumbstruck, and stupefied.

"That is ten kinds of wrong..." Morris mutters.

"I've never seen Mr. Doumeki this depressed before..." J mutters.

"And, hopefully, we never will..." Hajime grumbles.

Ryuta just stares at the disappointing slump of mass before him before turning his attention to Dolly.

"The way this is going, the world may as well revolve around you..." he grumbles.

* * *

Early the next morning, the hospital doors slide open as a slender old man with a long, curved nose, wearing a black, leather jacket over a blue, flannel shirt, and black jeans and boots saunters in. He sports a cocky smile as he walks over to the counter, looking around the computer desks behind it until a nurse with black hair walks up to him.

"Can I help you, sir?" she asked. The man stands tall and slips his hands into his pocket.

"Hello there, young lady," he said suavely, "Word on the street is a helpless, young girl was found crippled in an ally and taken to the hospital. She appeared to be 22-years-old, has long, bluish-black hair, and is said to be born deaf."

"A young, deaf girl..." the nurse mutters as she types the description into the computer. After a moment of waiting, she perks up, "Ah, you must be referring to Faiya Ippongi. She stumbled in here a few months ago, dehydrated and heavily pregnant."

"Heavily pregnant, eh?" the man snickers, "Is the child okay?"

"Oh, baby's just fine," the nurse continues cheerfully before sighing in remorse, "Wish I could say the same for her mother, though. The poor girl was in a lot of stress after giving birth. Not only did the ordeal sap her strength, she refused to have anything to do with the child. It wasn't until two months later that we found someone suitable enough to foster her."

The man strokes his shaggy chin in contemplation, "Her? So the baby's a girl, is she?"

The nurse began to suspect something and raises an eyebrow in curiosity, "Excuse me, sir. Do you have any relations with Faiya Ippongi?" the man redraws his attention to her, almost forgetting she was still in his presence.

"Ah, yes," he said, "I am a dear old friend of hers who helped her escape the crowded life of Japan and start a new life here in this glorious city. I wasn't aware that she was in any danger until just a couple days ago, and now I am here to take her off your hands."

The nurse giggles nervously, "That's every generous of you, sir, but Ms. Ippongi isn't well enough to leave yet. Our doctors suggest she stay bed ridden for at least another week."

"That's fine, that's fine," the man said, raising his hands in surrender, "But can I at least see her and make sure she's doing well? I wouldn't be much of a friend if I can't reassure her of her safety in this glorious, yet hostile environment." The nurse hums a but in thought before smiling warmly.

"Well, I don't see why not. I trust her roommates would try to intervene if anything happened to her, so feel free to visit her anytime you want."

The man places his left hand over his heart and bows to her, "Young lady, I thank you for allowing me access to comfort my dear friend in her time of need and will be grateful to you always." He then turns and heads deeper into the hospital, locating the room in which Faiya slept.

End Notes:

1. A kendama a is a japanese toy, with a head shaped like a hammer, one end larger than the other and a ball attached to a string. The object of the game is to land the ball on both sides of the head, then land it on the spike situated at the top.  
2. A daruma is another japanese toy with a ball bearing inside, rolling it back to a standing position no matter how far it's knocked over.


	31. Episode 31: Embracing the Future

Episode 31: Embracing the Future

He flew over the dark, rough seas of the Dragon's Triangle, his hand tightly clutched around the corners of his phoenix-wing-like cape as he flaps them to keep in the air. Amidst the thick mist surrounding the area within the triangle are small bursts of lavender, followed by wailing screams of the ghosts lost at sea due to the triangle's mystifying mysteries.

Suddenly, a destroyed, old-fashion pirate ship sails into his view with a shadow standing inside the crow's nest, holding up some kind of large, hideous-looking snake eye. The oval-shaped pupil flashes every five seconds, sending bolts of lightning raining down like meteors.

"**Oji-san!**" he yells as he lands on the front deck, staring up at the crow's nest 20ft above him, "**Oji-san! Stop this! The Eye of Hebi has been banned from this planet for a reason!**"

"**It will not be long now,**" mutters a calm, elderly voice. The heavy use of old, formal Japanese indicates he was born sometime during the late Meiji period, and his complete lack of interaction with the people of modern day Japan, "**Soon...this world will be cleansed of all evil, and everyone will worship me as the god that paved the way to peace....**"

"**You fool! That Eye won't help you become a God of Peace! It's using you to corrupt the minds of those you expose it to and convincing them that they have the power to make the world believe what they want!**"

"**Go, my crusaders.... Accept what I have to give you...and show the world why they should follow our paths instead of hanging onto their folly belief that god accepts a gray existence of peace....**"

"Baka...!"

He grabs the corners of his wing-like cape and leaps into the air, flapping his arms to increase his altitude towards the top of the crow's nest. But a split second after getting a good look at the shadow's elderly appearance, a bolt of lavender lightning shoots out of the dark clouds and slams into him, filling his semi-existent body with electricity as it throws him, head first into the wildly thrashing ocean below.

Though he could withstand the force of the currents, the sparks from the lightning continue to course through his joints, slowly paralyzing him while injecting him with pain he shouldn't be feeling.

Only seconds after he resurfaced, crowds of ghosts trapped within the circle jumped out of the water and surround him. They cry and moan for help, reaching out to grab him as if he was the only savior they could depend on.

Suddenly, scattered numbers of ghosts rise out of the water, flying towards the crow's nest. They are mashed together, causing their physical appearance to vanish as clouds of fire are all that remained of them. The pupil of the Eye of Hebi glows a bright lavender, causing the swirling blaze to suck into it like a vacuum. Their screams can still be heard, fading slowly as they reach the base of the Eye.

"**Come to me....**" calls the shadow, "**Come to me and help your god bring peace and union to this condemned planet....**" Many more of the terrified ghosts rise out of the water and fly into the eye, screaming and crying for help, "**Rise up and serve your god.... Help Him bring this world into a new future.... Help His crusaders bring the people to know His way is the correct way....**"

Once the swirl completely vanishes from the dark, misty skies, the entire Eye explodes into a blinding ball of light, surrounding the entire triangle as small clouds shot out into the horizon, each containing smaller, more human eyes with purple pupils and red eyelashes.

* * *

Chaska sat on the window seat of the patient room, looking out at the glow of the morning sun. Though her vision grows increasingly weak, she still manages to make out the scenery outside her window, sighing as she admires its ever growing beauty.

"Still can't wait to get that operation, can ya, sis?" asked a familiar voice. Chaska looks over to the door to see Morris saunter in with his hands in his pocket.

"Morris," she giggles, slipping off the window seat, "I didn't expect you here at this time of day. Don't you have work?"

"Nah, you don't hafta worry. They can just call me if there's trouble. Besides, things have gotten kinda slow lately; figured I use the downtime to come check up on ya."

Chaska giggles again before her smile fades to a suspicious frown. Morris shares the frown before hearing footsteps heading towards the room and turns around to see the old man from the lobby appear, taking a moment to glance around.

His smirk widens as he inhales a long, disgusting snort, then huffs a satisfied sigh.

"Yes," he sneers, "This is the room...." he turns his attention the curtains surrounding the bed and saunters over to it, tearing the left side open and exposing a very startled Faiya, who had just woken up to see his old, wrinkled mug staring down at her like a mighty god.

Morris suddenly feels Chaska grip his shoulders, looking behind him to see her young face twitching in fright and worry.

"Hey, what's wrong, sis?" he asked.

"I can...I can smell the sweat forming on her face," Chaska mutters, "That man.... Something about him is scarin' her. He must be the pimp your friends mentioned the other day."

"Pimp? How can you tell?"

"I smell perfume mixed into his cologne, faint, like he was putting them on the women he would send out into the streets to make money." Chaska's clutch tightens, "Morris.... I'm worried he might be here to take her away, just like he did in the past...."

Morris frowns a bit in frustration as he looks back over to the curtains blocking out any conversation the two might be having.

* * *

Faiya shrinks under the blankets as the old man moves closer to her, using Japanese Sign Language to communicate to her.

_I've finally found you after two months, Dorothy,_ he mouthed in Japanese while making minor hand movements. Faiya's cringe increases, gripping the sheets harder as he slaps one hand on the wall over her and continues communicating with his other, _Do you know how hard it was getting you into this country? And you had the galls to use your foreign name to get into ANY hospital? If the authorities find out you aren't a full U.S. citizen, they'll either send you back to Japan to be ridiculed by the community, or lock you up here where you will be treated like trash by the prisoners and the officers working there._

Faiya flings her hands around and mouths in response to the man's blind assumptions, _I will not be completely shunned! I have someone who still cares for me despite the nightmare you put me through!_ The man chuckles before responding back with his hand and mouth gesture.

_No, Dorothy, you don't. No one cares what happens to you or anyone that can't see, hear, or speak because it just wastes their time and money. The only way we are ever going to erase that dark fact is to guide them down the Yellow Brick Road and show them why you continue to exist even after their futile attempts to push you to the brink of extinction._

Faiya grips the sheets harder as the old man leans towards her, his disturbingly gentle smile increasing, _When will you understand that if you trail away from the Yellow Brick Road, you will lose your only chance to live the life of a normal person without the fear of having your disability exposed? I think it's time you gave up this pointless battle to find other ways of regaining your sociability and return to the warmth of my embrace. _He caresses her slowly thinning stomach, _Especially now that you are a mother of a young, healthy girl. _Faiya's horrified face worsens upon seeing the motion of his hand and mouth movements,_ Yes, I was told you had just given birth two months ago. This child could be an ambassador that will guide the world into accepting disabled women as equal._

Just as he had finished his sentence, two familiar voices were heard, heading towards the room.

"Are you sure you wanna do this?" asked one voice, "You know she's just going to shut you out like she did the other day."

"I'm not too thrilled about this either," said another, "But the doctor insists that if she doesn't bond with her child soon, they'll have no choice but to place her into an orphanage to be adopted. And the last thing I need is to repeat the same scenario that made Faiya's life a living nightmare."

The old man turns to the doorway to see Ryuta, Hajime and Jago walk into the room, Dolly once again strapped to Ryuta's back by a large, red cloth. Upon catching each other in the act, the old man thrusts an accusing finger at the Ouendan leader before he could recognize him.

"Child abuser!" he shrills, startling Morris and Chaska in the process, "That man is endangering that child by hanging her off a large rag!"

Ryuta grits his teeth in annoyance as the old man abandons Faiya and creeps towards him with his arms stretched out in brash comforting, "You poor girl.... He must have stolen you and made you suffer as payback for what your Mommy did to him...." Ryuta began to back away from his advancement, "The doctors were too blind by their family blood to think he would cause such harm to you...."

Hajime steps between the old man and Ryuta, his normal, yet protective stance frightening and sending him back a few inches.

"For your information," he said sternly, "A baby sling is the best way to keep a child calm and safe. Two things you obviously neglected to take into mind when you legally kidnapped his sister and treated her like a tool to get money."

"How dare you think I was using Dorothy to sully myself in money!" the old man snarls, whipping his head between Hajime and Ryuta, "I'm giving her what the world has been trying hard to reserve for the normality; a life." He thrusts his finger at Ryuta, increasing his agitated sneer, "Even he refused to do anything for his sister and abandoned her in favor of mingling with the children who bullied and told her she doesn't deserve to continue existing in this world!"

"Is that the best excuse you can come up with!?" Ryuta retorts disgustedly, "You didn't even ask if she had a brother, or anyone who accepted her as a normal person! You just saw her in the corner, assumed she was being shut out by the rest of the children, and dragged her away kicking and screaming for my help while my back was turned, leaving me with the belief that she was being well cared for by a loving father!"

"She wanted this!" the man exclaims, "She was excited when I told her that she would be able to make a lot of friends and accepted me as her adopted father!"

"You knew she was scared out of her mind even after you took her away from the orphanage! So you locked her up in her room for most of her life and refused to let her out until some tramp comes along and empties his pockets to 'play Lego' with her, all the while enforcing the belief that this deranged whoring business is the only way she can ever make friends outside the life my friends and I would have worked hard to ease her into!"

"It is not a 'deranged whoring business', you fool! It's the only thing giving these women a better chance at a normal, sociable life!" nearly everyone's facial expressions twist in disgust upon hearing the old man's excuse, "I know what you heresies really think about these disabled women! That they're nothing but obstacles that get in the way of your life, that they can't do anything without you holding their hands and guiding them along! Prostitution is the only way to make them open their eyes to the reason they continue to exist! Only then will they finally know their usefulness and accept them as normal people!"

"That's not entirely true," Chaska speaks up, sounding and looking supportive, "There are treatments that will give physically disabled people a chance to live a normal life." She places a hand on her chest, "My sight is failing, but the doctors have assured me that they will do everything they can to reverse the condition."

"No!" the old man exclaims, whipping around to face Chaska, "How can you accept such a belief!? I've seen what these doctors do to those naïve enough to accept their deceiving scalpel and lasers! They have no intentions of returning your vision! They want to turn you into a monster and use you as a false example of why god should just get off his lazy duff and do something to end the existence of all disabled women!"

"I understand you've seen people whose sight or hearing got worse after their operation. But those were accidents caused by inexperienced doctors. My brother made sure this hospital will help me get the stuff I need to regain my sight."

"Your brother is a buffoon! Another idiot the doctors easily deceived into believing they can make you better just so they can worsen your disability and drain him of his money!"

Chaska squints her nose in offense, "Scuse me?"

The man walks over to her and places his hands on her shoulders, "Don't let that buffoon's pipedreams ruin your beauty. Come with me to my Land of Oz where you will have a much better chance at gaining the respect you deserve." he sports a freakishly gentle smile as he strokes her cheek, "I will take better care of you, and you will have all the friends you need to live the life you truly want." Chaska grabs his hands and tears them off her.

"Don't you ever...." she begins calmly before twisting the man's arms around each other, "...dis my brother...." then shoulder tosses him across the room, "...again."

Morris calmly steps aside while everyone else scrambles out of the old man's aimless path towards the wall near the doorway.

"Oooh," he cringes as he shrugs a bit, "Guess I shoulda warned you; my sis was the first sight-failin', karate master to rank highest in the Mixed Martial Arts tournament in the past year."

The old man springs up, seemingly unfazed by the throw, and points an aggravated finger at Chaska, "You see!? This is exactly the result of the gap separating the disabled from those who have all their senses intact at birth! That is why it is vital for me to close the gap and prove to everyone that there is more to a person's disability than the fact they can't see, hear, or speak their minds!"

Morris scoffs in frustration, "My sister wailed on your ass and you still think it's just another lame proof of how helpless disabled people are!?" he looks over to Ryuta, "No wonder he was able to jump over the Em-O-Meter so easily...." The Ouendan leader could only respond with an increased sneer of disgust.

"Maybe I should come back later," he grumbles, turning to the door, "When there isn't a foul soul stinking up the room." He prepares to leave when he felt a heightened sense of desperation coming at him. Before he could turn around to put up defenses, the old man tackles him, grabbing Dolly and attempting to rip her and the sling off his back.

"I won't let him take you away, Toto!" he yells, his eyes fixed on a very terrified and wailing Dolly, "I'll save you from that abusive monster!"

"Toto!?" Ryuta nearly explodes, turning to the old man sharp enough to knock his hands away from her, "What gives you the right to think she wants your 'comfort' after what you did to Faiya!?"

"Her name is Dorothy!" the old man shrills, "Stop pretending you still care about her and go back to you normal friends!"

"Why don't you stop acting like you're the only one who cares about these women's disability and find some other excuse to keep your sick prostitution business running!?" Ryuta retorts, backing towards the door, "All that talk about how you're the only one who can save these women by dressing them up like some whacked Wizard of Oz fantasy! The only thing you're proving is men don't have to fall in love with women in order to spread their sperms! And I'm not going to let you raise my niece to think that way!"

"No!" the man retorts, grabbing his head and shaking it as if trying to disbelieve Ryuta's words, "It's you! You're the ringleader trying to convince everyone the world was better off without these disabled women! That's why you never did anything to your sister when she was left the corner of that orphanage to be downcast by the rest of the children! You didn't want them to realize you had a sister that can't speak because she was born deaf!"

He turns his focus to Dolly, who sinks further behind Ryuta's back, "That must be why you took Toto from her Mommy! You want to make her believe she was born to a normal family, and make her realize just how useless disabled women are!" he advances towards the two, "I won't let that happen! She must be reunited with Dorothy before you stomp away their kindling love!"

Just as he uncurls his fingers for the grasp a ghostly figure appears in the hospital hallway, leaning against the wall near the doorways of another room and staring at him menacingly.

The figure looks exactly like Hajime with an eye patch instead of glasses covering a large, cross-shaped scar on his left eye; the horizontal extending from the tip of his cheek bone to the bottom corner of his right eye, while the vertical begins at the base of the forehead and stretches through the eye patch to the chinbone, barely overstepping his lips. In place of Ouendan boots are black bandages taped around the ankle and calf, barely visible by the cuffs of his pants. Lastly, a 4ft cape covers his shoulders, almost resembling the wings of a phoenix.

The old man's eyes widen in fright as he blinks in disbelief, then opens them a second later to find the boy had vanished completely. He literally screams, whipping his head between the hallway and Hajime while stumbling to the nearest corner in the room.

Ryuta seizes this opportunity to walk out in a calm, yet hasty pace. The old man recovers long enough to catch sight of the escape.

"Toto!" he yells, about to run out of the room only to be blocked by Hajime standing between the doorframes, "Don't worry, Toto! I'll save you!"

"I think you've overstayed your visit," Hajime seethed, "So either get out of here, or I'll call security to have you removed for harassment!"

"Dorothy needs me!" the old man exclaims, "I am the only one who can help her in this hell you created!"

"Maybe you should take another look at her and tell me she still needs you!" Hajime snarled before looking over to Faiya, studying her ever horrifying face and agonizing tears, "Because it doesn't like she'll want you anymore than you think she does." With that, he turns sharply and storms out of the room. The old man seethes in sheer rage before looking over to Faiya, who shrinks away from him in further helplessness. He quickly sports an eerily gentle smile as he walks over to her and places a hand on her shoulder, communicating through JSL.

_Do not worry, Dorothy,_ he mouthed and hand-signed, _I won't let your brother steal Toto away from you. I swear I will rescue her before he erases what little memory she has of you._ He then backs away and saunters out of the room, looking around as he heads down the hallway in the direction both Ouendan headed in.

Morris continues to stay behind, cringing at the sudden weirdness of the situation.

"That guy has issues...." he mutters.

* * *

Ryuta sat in the waiting room, cradling Dolly in one arm while sticking a yellow, cat-headed pacifier in her mouth. Hajime shows up a minute later, sitting beside him as he takes his hat off and runs his hand over his bristled head.

"That guy is persistent," he grumbles, "He's completely intent on believing prostitution is the only way to make the disabled useful to the rest of the world."

"If the bastard wanted to show the disabled how useful they still are, he wouldn't just be targeting women and using their lack of senses to shovel money into his piggy bank," Ryuta growled, "The only reason he would create this sick, inescapable 'Land of Oz' is to sleaze the authorities into returning the women who run to them for help, then lock them in their rooms until the next costumer comes along and slaps money down to get their whoopee." He looks down to Dolly resting against his body while suckling her pacifier, "If I left Tsuki with Faiya while he still has his filthy hands on her, not only will he make her forget I even exist, she'll eventually grow to think all men care about nothing but money and sex."

"Tsuki?" Hajime looks over to Ryuta in confusion, "I thought her name was Dolly."

Ryuta sighs and holds his hand towards his niece, watching her reach up and grasp it between her small hands, "To be honest, I didn't really like the name. It sounds too generic and unoriginal. I noticed her hair sort of looked like the glow of the moon, so I decided to name her after the Japanese word for 'moon'."

"How dare you!" shouts a voice. Both heads turn to see the old man glaring down at them like an angered god, "Naming Toto means you want to keep her all to yourself! I won't let you steal her away from Dorothy and raise her to be a discriminate like you!"

"Look who's calling the kettle black," Ryuta growled, holding the newly named Tsuki closer to his body, "You're so desperate to shut me out of what family I have left that you come up with excuses even a child will call ridiculously impossible!"

"You don't even know if she wanted her child!" the old man exclaims, pointing at Ryuta, "You just walked into the hospital and took Toto away, claiming she doesn't deserve to raise her because she spent most of her life as a prostitute!"

He begins walking towards Ryuta, whose frown tightens as he hugs Tsuki like a teddy bear, "Is it because she was the first to be adopted and not you!? Is it because she forced you to let her go by spraying you with knockout gas and leaving you to stumble in the middle of the night rain like a drunken fool!? These are all the more reason to save Toto from your cold, dark hands, and return her to the warm, loving arms of her mother!"

Just as the old man was within two feet of the two, he suddenly stops and screams in fright while backing away, "Who are you!? Why are you haunting me like this!?"

Everyone in the waiting room stopped what they were doing and stared at the old man like he was crazy. He looks at every one of them before thrusting a finger towards the two dumbfounded Ouendan.

"Security! I'm being attacked by a dangerous, one-eyed beast!"

"One-eyed?" Hajime mutters as he and Ryuta look towards each other in confusion.

A split second after being surprised by the old man's hapless cry, the ghostly, cross-scarred Ouendan appears between them. The only thing that wasn't a bluish hue is the phoenix-like cape around his shoulders. His eyes were fixed on the old man, frowning and gritting his teeth as if angered by his oncoming antics, but at the same time appears to be concerned for his wellbeing.

Hajime blinks in surprise while Ryuta mentally freaks out, his wide eyes and grit teeth the only things expressing his reaction to the boy's sudden appearance. The rest of the hospital turn their heads away from the old man and went back to what they were doing. He looks at the ignoring people, his fright increasing tenfold.

"Why're you ignoring me!?" he whines, backing away, "Don't you see there's someone here trying to attack me!? Do something!"

The boy starts to move towards him in an eerily normal manner. Frightened, the old man turns and runs out of the building, screaming for help while his pursuer walks after him, fazing through the doors that slammed shut in his face.

The two Ouendan continue to sit in the lobby, staring at the glass doors of the hospital before Hajime looked over to the mentally terrified Ryuta.

"Uh...was that...?" he mutters nervously. Ryuta groans and drops his hands onto his knees, letting Tsuki slide onto his lap.

"Kuso...." he whines in frustration.

* * *

"Why!" the old man wails as he stumbles down the alleyway miles from the hospital, "Why is everyone against me!? I only want to do what's right for this world; to show them that disabled people still have one capability that they can perform without the use of their five senses!"

The walls eventually transform into cartoonish paintings of a poppy field, while yellow-painted bricks pave the rest of the concrete ground. The moment he reaches a door standing in front of the painting of Emerald City's entrance, he falls to his hands and knees, sobbing loudly while breathing heavily.

"I tried everything to show these women that they don't have to live in solitude and rejection forever! That if they live in my Land of Oz, they won't have to worry about the world telling them they don't have a right to exist just because they don't have eyes or ears to help them live the life they want! But they all run away to the authorities, calling _**ME **_the Wicked Witch who controls how they should live and make friends!"

He lifts his head towards one of the poppies painted on the wall, "I tried everything to show them the curse those Wicked Witches have placed on this world, but they overpowered me, modifying their machines to trick them into standing by their side while they destroy my sanctuary and tell me I have no right to say whether or not disabled women should continue to exist in this world!" he raises his quivering hand and gently strokes the painting, "I must find a way to wash away those Wicked Witches and bring my entourage back on the Yellow Brick Road to peace and unity...."

_Do not show them...._ whispers a voice that causes his heart to throb calmly and heavily. He immediately stops crying.

"Do not...."

_Showing will only turn heads away from the truth...._

His pupils dilate as the voice whispers the same words in his mind, "Showing...will...."

_Do not show them...showing will only turn heads away from the truth...._

He rises to his knees with his head turned to the late summer sky.

_Make them understand your views...make them realize the path you set for them...the path to peace and unity...._

"Peace...and...unity...."

_MAKE THEM...._

The old man rises to his feet, about to obey the whispering voice when a louder one snaps him out of his trance.

"Hey you!"

The old man jerks his head towards the source to see the short, round-headed chef barge out of the backdoor of his kitchen, waving a dough roller in his hand.

"I thought I told you a million times to check out of here! You've already gotten me into trouble last year for trying to kidnap some of my disabled customers!"

The old man appears terrified at first, but then frowns and turns to face him.

"No.... YOU check out of here!" he yells, "You Wicked Witches have destroyed my Land of Oz for the last time! I will have Dorothy and her entourage will return to the Yellow Brick Road and wash you all off the face of this planet forever!"

"Say what!?" the chef snaps as dark clouds began to form around ten feet of the alleyway, blocking out the midday sun while lavender bolts of lightning struck the yellow-bricked road before them. Sprouts begin rising out of the cracks, some forming red buds that open to reveal black poppy seeds inside.

The chef stares at the growing poppies, both bewildered and enraged, "The hell!? Now you want to get my business into trouble by illegally growing poppies!?" he marches towards the pseudo-garden, raising his roller and preparing to destroy it when the seeds glowed lavender and fly out at him, cramming into his mouth while shoving him back into the kitchen, slamming the screen door shut after disappearing behind it.

The old man stares at the aftermath of the attack before staring at the poppies again as more seeds grew inside, replacing the ones that flew out. Before he could ask, the same, whispering voice echoes in his mind and ears, causing his pupils to dilate once again.

_Use them to your bidding...make them understand your will to bring peace to this world...._

The old man continues to stare at the poppies overtaking the yellow-brick road as the wind gently bumps them around, almost seeming to make them dance with happiness and joy. His eyes become bloodshot as the pupils dilate to the point where their colors disappear completely.

"Yes...." he hisses with anticipation, reaching over to one of the poppies and plucking it from the yellow brick road, "I will.... I will bring them to a better future.... One where all life is treated equal.... And everyone will come to treat me as their messiah; one that will make sure no one is shut out for their lack of natural abilities...!"

He finishes with a deranged laugh that echoes throughout the entire alleyway, blissfully unaware of a ghostly shadow camping out behind the screen door of the kitchen; his remaining eye frowning in concern over what's to come.

* * *

..._a...! Papa...! Papa, wake up! This' no time to take a nap!_

The chef snorts and stumbles awake as he grabs his head and shakes it, "Ah...! I-I'm awake! I...!" he blinks as he looks around to find himself in the middle of the kitchen, surprisingly still intact given his aimless trip through the screen door.

"What happened...!? Was I dreaming?" the chef stares back outside where the poppy field painting can still be seen, the yellow bricks picked clean of the real poppies that grew earlier, "Last I remember, I was yelling at that old man before being force fed some strange seeds glowing from poppy flowers."

"Who cares about what happened!?" his wife complains, as she stoops over him and points to the door, "You gotta get up and quell the crowd! Lunch has already started!"

"LUNCH!?" he exclaims, scrambling to his feet and rushing into booth area of the restaurant. He suddenly freaks out as the lunch crowd grew larger and larger, with hungry mouths speaking more about what they want to eat rather than something else.

The chef shudders in hysteria before scrambling back into the kitchen, "Guys! Guys! We got an emergency on our hands! We-!" but he stops once again when he finds the kitchen completely empty.

"Are you that thick!?" the wife yelps, "You told Mr. Doumeki and his friends to take an extended break because of the light breakfast crowd this morning!" the chef prepares to yell in hysteria when he saw someone standing near the screen door.

His back was turned to the chef, but was easily recognizable.

"Hajime!?" he blurts out, grabbing the person's attention as he snaps his head over to him, nearly startled as if he wasn't supposed to be seen, "I thought you were supposed to help Ryu take care of his kid! What're you--what happened to your face?" he reference towards the large, cross-shaped scar on his left cheek.

"Uh...." the imposter mutters, placing his hand over the three-strapped eye patch covering his left eye.

"Hajime's here!?" the wife asked as she makes her way to the kitchen. The person in question mentally panics and throws the red door shut, blocking out the eerie poppy field reforming in the alleyway just before her chubby appearance came through the door, "He was supposed to—good heavens! What happened to his face?"

He began to feel overwhelmed by their sudden focus on his scar, worried they were going to freak and chase him out of the kitchen. The chef immediately recovers and grabs his shoulders while shaking him dizzy.

"Never mind that! We have a job to do! Put on an apron, Hajime! You just became the prime candidate for wait and serving!"

"B-but...!" the imposter mutters nervously before the chef effortlessly twirls him around and pushes him out the kitchen.

"I'm sure Ryu will understand if you aren't back where he is by now! He always does! Now c'mon!"

The imposter continues to stare at the chef before sighing in defeat. In a situation like this, it's better to just play along than get others involved in something that was beyond their comprehension.

End Notes:

1. Dragon's Triangle is another name describing Devil's Sea, Japan's equivelent to the Bremuda Triangle.  
2. Japanese Sign Language is slightly different from American.  JSL focuses more on lip-reading than hand signals, which is sometimes used to clerify what the person is saying.


	32. Episode 32: Scandalous Confusion

Episode 32: Scandalous Confusion

A large man lumbers towards the entrance of the hospital, his large nostrils widening as he takes in the scent of the area around him.

He appears to be no later than his mid-30s, standing half a foot taller than Kai, and twice as beefed up. He wore an eye patch over a vertical scar that took out his right eye, a white, muscle-T, blue, red striped, knee-high shorts, white tape around his ankle and calves, and iron, one-legged geta sandals.

"He's here...." the man growls, "I can smell him.... The stench of cologne mixed with perfume and poppies...so hard to forget.... I HATE it!"

He begins heading towards the hospital doors, his sneer increasing, "All these years I've spent practicing Muay Thai and crushing those who stand in my way.... All for the sake of destroying the nightmare he threw us into! My little brother may have chosen to settle his differences in a less violent manner, but I won't be so forgiving! The moment I confront him, I will crush him like the poppy seed muffins he force feeds his scantily clad employees!"

* * *

Morris walks towards the waiting room where Hajime, Ryuta, and Tsuki continue to sit, holding a poppy seed muffin in his hand.

"Hey, peeps," he calls out to them as they turn their heads towards him, "I think it's safe for you to come back in now. That old man promised not to bother us anymore."

"Promised?" Hajime asked.

"Yeah," Morris holds up one of the muffins with a cocky grin, "He even gave each of us a poppy seed muffin as a show of apology for his actions earlier."

"And you sure that's a good idea? There's no telling how many poppy seeds he crammed into that muffin."

"What's to worry about? Just because the poppies have opium in it doesn't mean I'll keel over and die from one bite. Besides, the authorities saw how poppy seeds was ruinin' everyone's chances of getting a job, so they fixed their drug testin' machines to avoid such a catastrophe. Now we don't have to worry about eatin' a bagel or two before turning in our cups."

Morris prepares to bite into the muffin when the seeds began glowing an eerily lavender color. Hajime and Ryuta blink in shock as an unknown sense of dread pound in their hearts; but before they could warn him, Tsuki suddenly squeals in curiosity, stretching her arm out towards the muffin while pushing against her uncle's arms.

Morris stops to look over to her only to catch sight of the glowing seeds. Panicked, he drops the muffin and stumbles back a foot.

"Holy—what the...!?" he yelps.

"It figures that old codger still had a few tricks up his sleeve," Ryuta growled, cradling Tsuki in his arms while staring at muffin laying near his feet, "He must've done something to those seeds to make them glow like that."

"But how!? They'd have to be possessed in order to glow like that!"

"Maybe they are. The glow was giving off some kind of feeling almost similar to the meteor piece J-Yama used to beat us around."

"What!? Ya mean if we ate those seeds, we'd explode with electricity!?"

"No. The old man wouldn't accept them if they had the same devastating powers as the meteor piece," Ryuta looks over to Morris, "He only wants to 'show' his ideal of giving disabled women a chance at a normal life."

"Then why-?"

"Because it worked in the past up until they altered the urinalyses to rule out consumption of poppy seed products," Ryuta interrupts, "The fact that such an edible pastry can ruin one's chance at getting a job, or proving that they aren't dealing in narcotics, is more than enough for him to use to his advantage. And because his clients are blind and deaf they have no idea they've been ingesting the seeds, causing them to get confused and frightened when the authorities side with whatever story he comes up with concerning the reason for their high rate of intoxication, and return them unconditionally. Once the drug tests have been raised to rule out poppy seeds as the culprit, his hopes of leading the world into his vision of peace began to crumble slowly as the women's confessions finally saw light and got the authorities to shut down his business."

"So if his business is no longer running, how come he's still bullyin' your sister?"

"Faiya is highly timid and shy. She won't go anywhere or trust anyone unless I'm there to reassure her. It took half a year to get her used to being around Saito and Suzuki without me being in the room for more than an hour. All it took was one night with a sick-minded man to make her think the entire world wants to mutilate her, and since then has never left her room until someone paid the old man to pull her out."

"So the muffins…."

"Are his last ditch effort to trap us in the poppy fields just like the Wicked Witch did to Dorothy and her entourage. He wants us to eat those muffins just so our systems would be intoxicated with opium, then demand a restraining order to make sure none of us come within a millimeter of Faiya and Tsuki. Because it would be ridiculous nowadays to throw off a drug test after one muffin, the authorities will comply and issue the order, not only allowing him to do as he pleases with them, but also use the possessed poppy seeds to force other disabled women into becoming prostitutes to fuel his vision of a unified future."

Ryuta looks down, his eyes gloomy, "He might even accuse you of being an unfit brother and take your sister away to be subjected to the same nightmare that landed Faiya in this situation."

Morris stumbles back a few feet, shaking in fright.

"What!? Oh no!" he stutters as he turns around and runs back to the room where Chaska, Faiya and Jago stayed in. Hajime grits his teeth as he gets up and runs off after him, fretting his parents might blame him for letting Jago "deal in drugs".

Ryuta watches them leave before turning his focus back to the muffins, seeing the glow fade back to the seed's natural black shell.

His frown increases in thought over what's been going on lately. First J-Yama tried to shut both EBA and Ouendan down by using a meteor fragment to alter any machine that uncovered his dark secrets. Now the pimp, who claims his Land of Oz is some sanctuary for the disabled populous, is using a similar source of power to try and win back Faiya, while getting anyone who tries to change her mind arrested by the authorities through false claims of narcotic dealing.

Ryuta bends over to pick up the muffin only to have a one-legged, iron geta sandal slam down on top of it, slicing it in half. Sitting back against his seat, he sees a very muscular man stare down at him, menacingly. Cringing slightly from the size and mean-streak of the new arrival the lead Ouendan leans further towards the backrest of his seat, clutching Tsuki closer to his chest as she just stares at him in curiosity.

* * *

Morris rushes into the room, seeing Faiya on her hands and knees, smashing a flattened pile of poppy seed and bread with her bare hands while yelling in hysteria and fright. Jago and Chaska stare at her in surprise and shock while keeping their distance near the sole window of the room.

"Chaska! You okay?" Morris asked worriedly as he ran to his younger sister.

"Y-Yeah," Chaska mutters shakily, "I was preparing to eat the muffin that old man gave me when Faiya leapt out of bed, tore it out of my hands and smashed it to the floor."

"Jago!" Hajime shouts as he runs into the room and towards his younger brother, "You didn't eat that muffin the man gave you, did you?"

"No, of course not!" Jago yelps, more frightened of the smashed muffins then Hajime's worried interrogation, "I already had breakfast and I was afraid eating muffin now would get you into trouble with nurses! I was going to save it for later when I saw muffin glow, then Ms. Faiya jump out of bed and snatched it out of my hands!"

Morris sighs in frustration as he looks over to Hajime, "This is too much! I can't stand it anymore! We gotta do something to get rid of this guy before he tries to get us all in trouble!"

"Somehow, I don't think we'll be getting that chance anytime soon," Hajime growled as he turns his head towards the doorway where, to everyone's shock and horror, the old man stands with equal the expression on his wrinkled, elderly face.

"Dorothy...." he squeaks, stumbling into the room, waving his hands around in the form of JSL, "**Why...why have you destroyed the gifts I've given to this child and woman...? Do you know something I don't about them that would make you this resentful of their show of respect?**"

"Gifts!?" Morris exclaims, "You damn well nearly got us in trouble with the nurses with your possessed muffins!"

"How dare you!" the old man snarls, turning his glare to Morris, "I try to show my apologies and this is how you accept them!? No wonder Dorothy destroyed them! You hate her just as much as the rest of the world!" he walks over to Faiya and bends down to her, placing one hand on her shoulder, while using JSL to speak to her, _It's okay, Dorothy. I will get you out of this hellhole of a hospital and back to the safety of my Land of Oz. You won't have to spend another day with these heathens._

"Oi, oi, oi!" Hajime growls, getting up and turning to glare at the old man, "**You can't just take her out of here without a consent from Ryuta! The doctor's won't allow it!**"

"Her brother is unfit to take care of her!" the old man exclaims, pulling Faiya into a protective hug as she struggles to pull free of his strong grip, "And you are all nothing but discriminators who want her to die just like the rest of the deaf community! I have to take her out of here before you convince those blind doctors to release her back to her abusive brother's care!"

"Mr. Ippongi not abusive! You are!" Jago complains, running over to the old man and grabbing his arm, "You let his sister go now, you old meanie!" the old man only looks at him in utter shock.

"How can you side with a man like him!?" he yells, turning to grab Jago's shoulder, "Didn't you see how he treated Dorothy's daughter earlier!? He doesn't care about her, he just wants her back so he can isolate her and make her feel useless to the world!"

"You're one who not care about her!" Jago tries kicking at the old man, but his legs were too short to reach him, "You don't care about her feelings! You only want her for business! She not want you anymore!" the old man furrows his eyebrows as he pulls Jago into a reassuring hug.

"Oh, you poor boy...." he mutters, "He must have brainwashed you into thinking he was a kind, loving man."

"Uh...I don't think you should...." Hajime mutters nervously, but his warning attempts are shut out by the old man as he raises his fist in determination

"Don't you worry, young child! I will make sure you see the truth behind his evil intentions of turning the world against the good of the disabled."

Just as he had finished his declaration, he feels a sharp pain to his groin, causing him to double over in pain.

Jago pulls his knee out of the old man's groin and backs away a few feet, then takes one step forward and throws a front kick at his face, sending him flying onto his back, with his knees uncomfortably bent below him.

Hajime groans in annoyance as he slaps his hand on his forehead, "Mou! Jago, how many times do I have to tell you not to hit him like that!"

"Uh...Haji...." Morris mutters nervously, "I know you mean well, but I'm sure he was only...."

"Don't encourage him, Morris, or he'll repeat the same thing to the next person that bothers him." Hajime walks towards the old man as he staggers to his feet with his eyes swirling dizzily, "You shouldn't hit him in the groin, for one thing; it's a foul. Also, you don't knee strike, then back away for a flying kick; you have to do it in one fell swoop. Like this!"

Immediately after speaking, he leaps at the old man, slamming his right knee into his mid-section, sending him back a few inches. Without stopping, he throws his foot high into the air, kicking him square in the chin and sending him flying into the doorframe of the room.

Morris nearly falls over in surprise while Jago rolls his eyes in annoyance.

"You hang out with Yatto-kun way too much," he grumbles. Morris exasperates more as he turns to look at Hajime in shock.

"You didn't tell me Kai's brother was a kickboxer!" he squeaked. Hajime looks over to him in confusion as he stands on one foot.

"Oh? I thought did."

Chaska blinks in astonishment.

"Oh, wow! You're a fan of Yatto Doumeki!" she squeals in delight.

Hajime looks over to Chaska, scratching his chin sheepishly as he puts his foot down, "Uh...well...."

"Aniki friend with Yatto-kun!" Jago pipes up excitedly.

"Wait a minute," Morris yelps, stumbling to his feet, "You know Kai's older brother?"

"Yatto Doumeki, former Muay Thai champion?" Chaska asked as she looks over to Morris, "Of course! I've met him last year; we even spared a week before the tournament, though I think he was being too much of a gentlemen by letting me win."

"I think it's more out hesitation for exerting too much of his power than worrying about hitting a woman," Hajime mutters nervously. Chaska sighs in worry.

"He came to see me a few days ago," she said, "He said he was looking for that old man for...personal reasons."

"Personal reasons?"

Suddenly, the old man lunges towards Hajime with a hand full of mashed up poppy seed muffins, his hand stretching out to grab his shoulder. But as he was within a few feet of the rookie Ouendan, he's met with a tin medicine tray flying into his face.

The sound of flesh hitting metal grabs everyone's attention as they turn to see him spinning like a top right out of the room and into a door that had been kicked shut by an elderly patient, who had watched the whole event unfold. Eyes then turn to the holder of the tray, seeing Faiya now standing behind Hajime with a determined sneer on her otherwise terrified face.

"Looks like the facts did more than hit you in the face," said a voice as a pair of baggy legs stop a few feet from the old man. He looks up to see Ryuta stare down at him with his fists behind his back, half cradling the sling on his back where Tsuki rests.

"You...." the old man seethed as he staggers to his feet, glaring at his most hated enemy, "This is all your fault! You forced her to reject me!"

"No, ossan, I didn't force her to reject you. She did it herself; to prove she knows how to take care of herself when her family and friends aren't there to support her in the nightmare you dragged her into!" the old man begins to back away, grabbing his head as he shrinks in refusal to accept his words, "You're just looking for more excuses, not just to make others believe she's some helpless woman who needs your protection, but to keep your fallacy belief that you're the only one who cares about disabled women, and think prostitution is the only way to help them be accepted by the world as normal people!"

"No...." the old man mutters before lunging at Ryuta, "NO!" he grabs the lead Ouendan's throat, clutching the mashed muffins tightly in his other hands, "I'll stop you! I'll make you melt and shrink away like the Wicked Witch that you are, and save Dorothy from your dominating hands!"

Before he could cram the muffin in Ryuta's mouth, he feels a tap on his shoulder.

"Hello, father," said a deep, enraged voice that made the old man flinch. He slowly turns around to see the middle-age man pull on some tape to tighten a series of wraps around his right hand and wrist, glaring at him in vengeance, "Remember me?"

The old man stammers as he backs away from the younger man's terrifying advance, "I didn't think you would, since my mother was your first experiment into starting your sick little 'disabled sanctuary' business."

He began wrapping tape around his left hand, "She was born blind; deaf. You thought if you made love to her, your child would be the ambassador of your business to freely sell to the men for the sole purpose of making the world believe that disabled women can still be useful through prostitution. What you got, instead is me; a big, ugly, full functioning boy!"

The old man backs into the corner as his son tightens the bandage on his left hand, "You were livid, you yelled at her when she couldn't hear you, and demanded she get it right next time. Instead, you got another full functioning boy. The strain was too much and she died shortly after giving birth to him. But rather than blame Mother Nature for her demise, you attacked us, calling us Wicked Witches and throwing us out of that rat hole you called a home. I struggled for 25 years raising my little brother to survive in this world while you sat in your comfy little home, counting your money and traveling the world for women who had everything you envisioned."

He stops in front of the old man, cracking his knuckles, "Now I'm here to put a cork in your docile business and keep you from dragging more disabled women into your filthy hands. This will be one time I won't have to use proper Muay Thai to take you down...."

The old man tries to back further away from him, but is trapped by the wall behind him, leaving him with no choice but to sit and wait for his vengeful son to lay more painful blows on his body.

* * *

After three shout-infested hours, the lunch crowd begins to die down. The chef watches in amazement as the supposed Hajime-lookalike seems to be doing a much better job of handing out food, using every diameter of his arms, head, and even mouth to carry food to ten customers a minute.

The imposter, on the other hand was anything but inspired by the praises he's been getting since he was found in the kitchen; always worrying about what will happen if the real McCoy returns and sees him outperforming his temporary job.

Suddenly, the glass doors fly open, revealing a bloodied and bruised mess of an old man staggering in. His beak-like nose is squished towards his face, his black eye swollen shut, what little teeth were left in his mouth had been punched right out, and his clothes had been torn to rags, surprisingly still covering every part of his skin below the neck.

Everyone stares at him in shock and horror while he pans the room before focusing on the one-eyed imposter who had just emerged from the kitchen with another stack of food; four plates of pasta on each arm, a pan of pepperoni pizza on his head, and a tray sticking out his mouth with six plates of food on top of it.

The old man's remaining eye reddens with bloodshot, the pupil dilating to a thin line, as his battered body trembles in rage.

"You...." he muttered through the bloodied gums of his mouth while stumbling towards the partially impaired boy, who tightens his bite hold on the tray and backs away, "You monster...I'll kill you...I'll kill you and every single person wearing your clothes.... I'll destroy them all...and rid the world of your kind...!"

He never got a chance to carry out his threat, however, when he felt another finger tap on his shoulder.

"Excuse me, sir. Are you referring to us," asked a mildly Japanese-accented voice behind him. The old man turns to see Kai tower over him with Saito and Suzuki standing on either side of him. Despite being a half foot shorter than the man who wailed on him, and doing nothing but cross his arms, his mean-looking face still struck fear in the elderly crusader's heart, sending him back a few feet as his eyes widen in fright.

Just as quickly as his eyes fixed on the large Ouendan, a heavy pulse resonates from both their hearts, the younger full of dread, while the older loosens into a death-like trance. The one-eyed Ouendan furrows his eyebrows in worry.

"No...." he mutters through the obstruction of the tray in his mouth.

_Doumeki Kai...._ whispers a voice in the target's ears as a humanoid eye protrudes through the old man's chest, it's purple pupil fixed on his tantalizing mug, _At last...you are alone...._

Kai's frown tightens as he uncrosses his arms and drops them at his side, staring at the eye coming out of the man's chest, emitting a dark, foreboding cloud that reshapes into a silhouette of an elderly-looking man with long, dragon-like whiskers, and a short, traditional topknot sticking out the back of his head. The eye remains in the center of the head, doing nothing but stare at the large figure before him.

_Return...._ shouts the whispering voice, stretching its hand out as it advances towards Kai, _Return to your master...! Serve him as his crusader towards peace...!_ the crowd began yammering and shaking in fright at the sound of old Japanese that only Kai understands.

The one-eyed Ouendan's eye widen in shock as he dashed towards the scene before him, flinging everything he carried towards the people who ordered them, leaving no mess or spill anywhere, and grappling the cloud, trying to keep it from advancing further towards Kai.

"**Please, stop!**" he yells as he tries to pull the silhouette away from Kai, "**You'll only drive him insane like the rest of those you pull under your spell!**"

The shadow remains unfazed by the captor's grapple and plea, still focused on Kai as his frown tightens in intimidation.

Suddenly, the head and hands stretch out of the body still grappled by the one-eyed Ouendan, flying towards Kai and wrapping around him as he continues to stand there, glaring at the eye staring straight into his face. The crowd screams and scrambles away from the area, as the Hajime-imposter panics more and tries desperately to pull the rest of the cloudy silhouette away from Kai.

_The world no longer has need for those who try to bring peace through encouragement and harmony...all your attempts at continuing what I once taught you is irrelevant to the one true way of eradicating evil in the minds of men...._

The pupil glows as it stares straight into Kai's eyes, _Now is the time to forget...forget everything that made you believe cheering can bring a happier future...and follow your master towards bringing peace the way God has intended...!_

Kai continue to stare deeply into the glowing eye before frowning tightly and throwing his arms at his side, yelling loudly as the vibration tears up the clouds binding his body. A chain reaction follows, trailing down the snake-like arms and neck towards the rest of the body, causing it to evaporate completely while the Ouendan grappling it collapses to his hands and knees.

The yellow, human-like eye was all that remained of the possessed cloud as it loses levitation and lands squarely in Kai's hand, continually staring at him as the lavender glow fades back to it's original, pupil appearance.

"**We are no longer the squad you once raised to bring peace through harmony and unity,**" Kai said calmly, "**Ever since you abandoned us to that ridiculous belief that all beings on earth are evil, we have branched out on our own, using what you've taught us to brighten everyone's future and show them that they don't have to follow the folly beliefs of a wannabe god to go about their day with little stress.**"

His grips the eye as his hand throttles from it's thick, glass-like mass, "**We have saved this world through the use of our encouraging cheer before, and we will use it again to stop you if you ever try using the powers of a god to destroy it in your blind quest to eradicate all evil!**" he finishes by crushing the eye within his hands, sending lavender vapors smoking out the cracks in his fingers before disappearing completely. The old man's eyes return to their normal color as he groans and falls to his side in an unconscious heap.

Believing the nightmare is over for now, the one-eyed Ouendan drops his head with a sigh of relief before sensing someone walking up to him. He looks up to see Kai stare down at him with a bit of concern on his otherwise stern face.

* * *

Ryuta walks into Faiya's room after the air finally settled down, seeing Faiya flop down on one of the beds and breathe heavily to calm her shaking nerves. Feeling his presence, she turns to look at him only to see Tsuki resting against his back within the sling, staring back at her in curiosity. After a moment, she pulls her arms out, reaching towards the younger twin while squealing to be held.

Faiya furrows her eyebrows in fright, wanting to object, but Ryuta stops her by sitting down on the other side of the bed, leveling her eyes with Tsuki's. Reluctantly, she reaches over and takes her out of the sling, feeling her reach up and rub her tiny hands along her face while cooing. Eventually, Faiya pulls her into a warm hug, smiling as if she has been happy her entire life.

Ryuta reaches over and places a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look over a second before flying into his arms and hugging him hard while pushing Tsuki slightly to one side of her arms to keep from crushing her in their embrace. The elder twin seemed shocked at first, but then smiles a bit as he places his arms around her and returned the gesture.

* * *

"**I thought it was just gossip...everyone did....**" the one-eyed Ouendan mutters as he stands outside the alleyway between the restaurant and another building, watching the poppies shrivel up and blow away into lavender-glowing dust towards the late afternoon sky, "**But when I heard that the person who found and superglued the pieces of Hebi's Eye spoke Japanese as old as the late-Meiji period, I realized it was serious and flew to Devil's Sea where he was last seen terrorizing the ghosts trapped inside there.**"

He looks over to Kai, who's standing behind him, watching the makeshift poppy field disappear to reveal the dingy appearance of the painted poppy field and yellow-painted bricks, "**I don't know where he found the pieces, or how he was able to find enough superglue to repair it. I only know he's using the Eye as a tool to latch onto people who share his desires to bring peace, and possessing them through an object they've seen before during their most traumatizing moments.**"

"**Then the disaster with J-Yama and his meteor piece....**" Kai mutters.

"**I don't understand why he would target J-Yama first. Even he knows he would use those powers out of greed for money and dominance. I can only assume he was using J-Yama as a guinea pig to make sure the Eye works. Once he's satisfied, he started going after people who tried to bring peace through the wrong kinds of unity, not realizing its corrupting side effect.**"

"**What kind of side effects?**" Kai asked.

"**Hallucination; seeing spirits that shouldn't be seen. Heightened fear and intimidation; to the point where they will come up with any excuse to avoid admitting their antics is not going to help hasten their desires for peace. And finally, corruption; becoming so powerful they'll eventually use the powers given to them to take over the world and make everyone worship them as a god. I tried to reason with and get him to stop abusing the Eye for his own means, but he refused, using the Eye to blast me into the ocean. I was barely able to swim to New York and confront one of his supposed 'crusaders' long enough to witness the nightmare he was about to create.**"

He stares back towards the alleyway where the opium poppies vanished back to the appearance of the makeshift Land of Oz, "**He's so blinded by his ambition to bring peace the way he sees fit, he doesn't realize his attempts are only making the world darker and more frightening. I'm worried if none of the other spirits get the Eye away from him soon, he might figure out its most dangerous power.**"

"**Most dangerous power?**"

The one-eyed Ouendan rubbed one of the feathers on his phoenix-like cape, "**The Eye is also a resurrection tool like the other accessories worn by the spirits. Once he finds out using it will only corrupt his 'crusaders' into using his powers for their own means, he'll start searching for the place he lost his most cherished asset.**"

Kai looks over to him, eyes widened slightly, "**You don't mean....**"

"**I'm afraid so....**" the Ouendan sighs worriedly, "**And on an accessory that even a spirit won't touch, there could be even more devastating powers that could cause the resurrected body more harm than good. If he tries to resurrect **_**him**_**, the end results could put the entire world in danger.**"

He looks towards where he gripped his cape, stretching it out as he throttles his fist, "**Now that he no longer has control of the squad, he'll eventually figure out the Eye's resurrecting powers and use it to raise the Heartbreaker's spirit, causing the entire world to fall into chaos the moment he opens his eyes. And I'm not sure how the rest of the squad and agency will be able to handle such a catastrophe...!**"

"**It's been two years since we saved the world from the threat of the meteor,**" Kai said reassuringly, "**We've matured far greater than he forced us to believe. If he tries using accessories, deemed cursed by even the spirits themselves, to try and force us, and the rest of the world, into believing his blind antics, we will be more than ready to stand before them and push him away.**"

The one-eyed Ouendan looks over to him, still unsure of whether Kai meant what he said, before sensing someone walking towards them and turns to see Morris a few feet from crossing their paths. Kai noticed as well and looks over to the third-ranked Agent, who stops upon seeing them.

"Hey! Mr. Doumeki!" he calls out, trotting over to them, stopping a foot away upon seeing the smaller of the two, "Oh, Hajime! I—what happened to your face!?" before the person in question could answer, he turns his attention back to Kai, "Oh hey, Mr. Doumeki! I guess he already told you what happened earlier."

The ignored Ouendan rolls his eye in a mixture of annoyance and concern, "**Why do I even bother...?**"

Morris walks over to Kai and pats his shoulder in sympathy, rising on the tip of his toes in order to reach it, "I gotta say, man, I totally feel for you! I never thought you had it so bad."

"Had what so bad?" Kai asked in confusion.

"About your brother; how that old man did your blind and deaf mother just so he can run his disabled prostitution business? And how he threw both of you out when your mother died at child birth? I can see why you never talk about your family life when we bring up the conversation."

Kai's frown tightens while the smaller Ouendan furrows his, both in confusion.

"My...deaf and blind mother...?" Kai mutters as they shoot their confused glances towards each other.

End Notes:

"Ossan" mean old man in Japanese.


	33. Episode 33: The End of the Past

Episode 33: The End of the Past

"Chaska, you ready?" asked a familiar voice.

"Ready and waiting!" Chaska says confidently, "Off with the bandages, bro."

There was nothing but darkness since the surgery, but after a long wait, the bandages surrounding her eyes begin to pull away, letting in the light of the hospital room. Slowly, familiar silhouettes began to appear before her, one closer than the other, moving one arm around while the other held parts of her bandage.

Finally, the last of the bandage peels off to reveal Morris, Faiya and Tsuki looking over her as they smile with delight.

Ever since the day she stood up to the over dominant pimp and proved she can take care of herself, Faiya had undergone a dramatic change. She began smiling more often and greeting patients she passes by in the hospital without the presence of her elder brother.

Chaska also became her best friend rather quickly, learning English by reading her lips, and understanding ASL by reading a book borrowed from the library down the street. It still took her a while to warm up to Morris because of her weariness of EBA, but after a week, began to lighten up to his approach.

"Hey, sis!" Morris laughs, "How ya feelin'?"

"Wow...." Chaska gasps as the brightness of the morning light nearly blinds her, "It's so bright."

She closes her eyes a few seconds to let them adjust to the brightness. When she opens them again, she can perfectly make out everyone in the room.

Morris, the closer of the two, still wore his Agent outfit, but his black coat is missing, revealing just the white shirt and necktie. Faiya wore a more civil outfit compared to what she had on during her two month stay in the hospital. She now wears a moderate, red T-shirt, black, baggy jeans, and white sneakers. Her bluish-black hair is tied back in a high ponytail by a red bow. Tsuki still wears a red footy pajama, but this time has a cute bonfire patched on her chest instead of the yellow cat that was Aimay's old baby outfit.

Chaska appears surprised at first, but quickly smiles warmly.

"Well," she began with a giggle, "Let me be the first to say the surgery is a big success!"

Morris laughs with excitement as he bear hugs his young sister, "That's great! Now no one'll be callin' you the blind karate champ! From now on, you'll be able to get a good look at your opponents' faces before you floor them with your swift, powerful punches!" he pulls back and places his hands on her shoulder, "Ya know what!? I think this calls for a celebration! How's about I treat you all to brunch at the Italian Restaurant down the street?"

"Sounds good to me." Chaska giggles as Faiya nods in agreement.

* * *

"So, I heard you're headin' back to Japan soon," J said as he sat at one of the tables in the Italian Restaurant, watching Ryuta wiping one of the other tables.

"Yeah," he mutters, seeming to be in deep thought, "I'm still worried about Faiya, though. The court needs her as a witness to convict that pimp for public endangerment, and at least seven counts of child abuse. I'm worried she might not be able to handle the pressure if her statement doesn't get him behind bars."

"What's to worry about? Now that all his secret weapons are destroyed, there's no way he'll get the authorities to believe anything he says; especially with most of the hospital, and the chef, giving their statement to prove he deserves being slapped with those charges."

"Maybe you're right. But I'm also worried about what'll happen when the court starts to go after her for prostitution. Even though she was forced into this business, the fact she didn't muster the courage to get away from him sooner might damage her chances of not only getting out of America, but also strengthening her independence. I'm worried if they decide to put her away for something she was powerless to stop, she'll eventually revert back to being scared and timid. And this time I may not have the income to bail her out."

"Well, Morris did say his sister was going to take care of her until the authorities allow her to go back to Japan. And since they come from a rich family, I'm sure they'll have plenty of money to pay for any charges she might face thereafter."

J then gets up and throws his arm around Ryuta's neck, pulling him towards his face, "But if you need a second hand to protect her during the rest of her stay here, I can always pitch in."

Ryuta stares at him untrustingly, "Pitch in...how...?"

J looks away while shrugging sheepishly with one shoulder, "Oh, y'know, come and visit her often, chat, see how she's doing; maybe hang out somewhere and get to know each other better?" he looks back over to Ryuta, placing his hand on his side, "Wha'dya think of that, dawg?"

Ryuta slams his arm around the back of J's neck and pulls him into a bent over position, knocking his arm clean off his shoulders, "How's this for a thought, dawg!?" he then rams a wet, cloth-covered nookie against J's cranium, twisting it around as he flails his arms up and down in pain.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! WET NOOKIE!!! WET NOOKIE!!!" he cries in comical hysteria.

Just then the glass doors open as Morris, Faiya and Chaska walked in, glancing around at the near empty restaurant.

"Cool! Breakfast crowds light this time of day," Morris says, "This means we can have our celebration in peace."

While searching for a table to sit at, Faiya looks towards a TV at one corner of the room, showing a news report of the upcoming Olymic finals, and track star Bill Mitchell being bed ridden by a fever. If he doesn't recover by tomorrow, he'll most likely be disqualified.

Ryuta notices Faiya's eyebrows furrow and quickly pushes J into an upright position, walking towards them while the BA-2 Agent collapses back in his chair, his pompadour ruffled while his collar and necktie are slightly undone.

"**Faiya, what's wrong?**" he asked as he placed a hand on Faiya's shoulder. He then looks over to the TV and the report concerning the welfare of Bill Mitchell.

"Your sister seems to be very interested in track and field," Chaska said, grabbing Ryuta's attention as he looks over to her, "The Olympics is the only thing that brightened her up during her second month stay at the hospital. I think she's taking a fondness to Bill Mitchell."

* * *

"Really?" Morris asked, surprised.

"Yeah," Chaska giggles, "I was so surprised that she actually took a liking to someone in this country, I invited her to watch the finals at our house tomorrow. But if Bill doesn't get well soon, we may end up watching a pointless race."

Morris hums in interest as he looks back at the TV continuing the report of the ongoing Olympics and the welfare of Bill Mitchell.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the home of track and field finalist, Bill Mitchell, the coach walks in, finding him laying in bed with a bag of ice on his forehead and a thermometer sticking out of his mouth.

He shivers violently as his stomach aches in unimaginable ways, sapping his strength and making him weaker by the minute, if not shorter.

"How's the fever, Bill?" he asked worriedly.

Bill doesn't answer, being too busy shivering off the cold flashes that unfortunately came with the full fever pack. The coach begins to tense over the thought of a dim future racing to the star track and fielder.

"Drug tests makes medicines out of the question!" he exasperates, "Your immune system is our last hope!"

"_C-coach...._" Bill mutters weakly as he opens his eyes to address his fellow teacher and supporter, "_S-should be ok by tomorrow...._" he then closes his eyes, imagining the day he would win his 100m dash, "_Four years to this day.... I can't let this fever stop me.... _I won't let it!"

Unbeknownst to the ailing sprinter, an evil bacterium lurks in his body, leaping around for the tastiest of flesh to dine on.

"Mr. Virus is the name!" laughs the vial, blue skinned beast infesting Bill's immune system, "Are you ready for some fun?"

He stands proud in his black, devil tailed suit and mask, holding his fork and knife at his side, just as eager to dine on the weakest flesh as he is. But one person is willing to put a stop to it; Cap White, Bill's white cell and virus exterminator.

She is dressed like a short skirted nurse outfit with pink hair, pointing at Mr. Virus in determination.

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" she shouts. Mr. Virus is less than intimidated.

"Shut up, Cap!" he laughs as he charges for her. With one swing of his fist, he clocks her jaw and sends her flying out of his path towards destruction.

Now free of the only obstacle that could stop him, Mr. Virus dives right into the first wall of meat he finds, cutting a square chunk of it and causing Bill immense pain. With no way of stopping the mad bacteria from doing as he pleases, both host and cell resort to only one option.

_**HEEEEEAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLP!!!**_

* * *

"Well, ain't this ironic," Morris chuckles halfheartedly as he looks at Bill and White Cap's screaming mug on the Command Room monitor, "And here I thought I'd have to find some other way of cheerin' up my sister and her new buddy."

"Only question now is, who's going with us?" Derek asked with a shrug, "Most of us are still recovering from the ordeal of that Island a couple weeks ago."

"You're answer is right here, dawgs!" shouts a voice from behind. Both backups turn to see the double doors slide apart as Spin skids into the room, bent slightly to the side.

Once he slowed to a stop, he stands straight and throws his arm around Morris' shoulder, "I couldn't help but overhear that yer sis is in deep waters. So I thought I'd sacrifice my time to help her favorite track star get back on his feet."

Morris frowns in discomfort, "Why do I get the feelin' you ain't doin' this for my sake?" Spin looks over to him, looking shocked.

"I'm appalled at the flow of your soul, bro!" he gasps, leaning onto Morris while throwing a shrug with his other shoulder, "I just wanna help a brother out! Maybe even get some gratitude from his sis if I do a good enough job! Wha'dya say to that?"

Morris shoves Spin in front of him and bends him over, pressing two nookies against his forehead and twisting them simultaneously, "I say you need to lay off my sister, _bro!_"

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! DOUBLE NOOKIE!!! DOUBLE NOOKIE!!!" Spin wails in pain while Derek cringes and backs away from them.

"If anyone's bailing a sick track star outta bed, it's gonna be me!" shouts a voice from behind the trio. Everyone turns to see Chieftain march between them and cross his arms. Commander Kahn frowns a bit in concern.

"The doctor said you shouldn't be doing any excessive activities for at least a month," he mutters, "Are you sure you-"

"In situations like these, I would rather be out in the field, helping people get out of danger than sitting in bed catching 'Z's," Chieftain interrupts, "Besides, I still owe someone an apology for what happened back in the old days, and now is the best time to show it."

"An apology?"

"For a lapse of judgment I made that cost one innocent life to lose all faith in fighting off strangers. I want to at least show her what I did doesn't deter the fact that the rest of the agency learns from their mistakes, and will do whatever they can to make themselves more reliable, and less likely to pull the same, hasty stunts again. If I don't show my apologies now, I may never get another chance."

Kahn remains silent a bit before lowering his head, "I suppose I have no choice but to approve your decision to take this mission." Chieftain nods in thanks.

"I swear I won't let you, or her, down," he said. Kahn looks back over to him before rising to his feet.

"Agents are...." he began before thrusting his finger to the door, "GO!!!"

* * *

Using a sphere-shaped capsule vehicle and a shrinking ray, the Agents fly straight into Bill's mouth, wearing face masks as Ashlee Simpson's "La La" starts to play.

Upon their arrival, they find Cap White shaking helplessly while watching Mr. Virus pulling out and chewing on pieces of Bill's intestines. But upon hearing the music playing, her courage and confidence boosts, causing her to pick up her trusty syringe and rush down off to find the main source of the infection.

Mr. Virus hears her rapidly stampeding feet and turns to see her disappear into the darkness of the immune system faster than he had anticipated. Panicked, he abandons his savage eating frenzy and rushes off to stop her from finding the rest of his pose.

_You can dress me up in diamonds  
You can dress me up in dirt_

Cap saw Mr. Virus chasing after her with his fork and knife waving in the air, and a confident grin on his face. She struggles to move faster, but the weight of her syringe slows her down, making it hard for her to pick up any more speed than her frail body can muster.

_You can throw me like a lineman  
I like it better when it hurts_

She stares at her syringe, finding it uncomfortably cradled in her arms, making movement all the more difficult and annoying. With one heave-ho, she hoists it onto her right shoulder, allowing her more room to lift her legs, as well as making delivery a lot faster than before. Mr. Virus watches in shock and fluster as the distance between him and Cap grow wider and farther from where he stood._  
_

_Oh, I have waited here for you_

After several runs through the immune system, Cap manages to back Mr. Virus into a corner. She raises her syringe in preparation for her next move.

"I've got you cornered, Mr. Virus!" she declares as the still flustered bacteria continues to chomp down on the piece of flesh he tore out earlier. Thinking she's bluffing, he charges at her with his fork and knife armed and ready to attack.

In a traditional, wild west scene, the two pass by each other, bringing their respected weapons down as they did. Once Mr. Virus distances himself from Cap, he explodes in a splatter of medicine injected from her syringe, filling an area of the immune system with natural healing chemicals.

"Yeah! You're out!" she says smugly.

_I have waited_

Bill starts to perk up as he grabs a bowl of soup and chomps down on it, "Coach! I'm feeling better already!"

But just as quickly as he rejoiced, more Mr. Viruses emerged from other parts of his immune system. His inner conscience panics while Cap White struggles to regain her strength.

"At this rate! We're doomed!"

_You make me wanna lala in the kitchen on the floor  
I'll be your French maid where I meet you at the door  
I'm like an alley cat  
Drink the milk up I want more_

Fork and knife meets the needle of a syringe as white cell and bacteria battle for control of Bill's immune system. The strike and parry lasts for a while until Cap White gathers enough strength to overpower their attacks, taking them out one by one as her aura burns a white blaze of fire.

_You make me wanna  
You make me wanna scream_

Cap eventually confronts a gigantic Mr. Virus, staring down at her while aiming his even larger utensils towards her tiny body.

"It's the end of the line, Cap!" he laughs as he sweeps his knife towards her in a bid to cut her in half.

Unhindered by his threat, Cap pulls out a large roll of medical bandages and leaps over the knife, throwing them at the giant virus. Flustered, he struggles to get it off only to have her grab the ends and tighten them, crushing him into a mess of ooze that quickly evaporates.

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall!" she says as she snaps her bandage out like a bullwhip.

Bill leaps out of bed and begins doing stretch exercises with gusto, "I'm feeling a lot better now, coach!!"

But the siege hasn't quelled yet. More of the Mr. Virus army comes charging towards the lone white blood cell, eager to tear her to shreds and have their way with Bill's immune system. His inner conscience panics again.

"At this rate, we're doomed!!"

_You can meet me on an aeroplane  
Or in the back of the bus  
You can throw me like a boomerang  
I'll come back and beat you up_

Two of the viruses charge at Cap, throwing their utensils at her only to be blocked by her ever trusty syringe. The two struggle for several minutes until the savior leaps away and vanquishes them with the healing liquid squirted out of her needle.

_Oh, I have waited here for you  
Don't keep me waiting_

Angered by what they see, the rest of the viruses came charging at Cap White, utensils raised to attack. But all their efforts fail as they come in contact with the needle of her syringe and the healing chemicals she pumps into them.

_You make me wanna lala in the kitchen on the floor  
I'll be your French maid where I meet you at the door  
I'm like an alley cat  
Drink the milk up I want more  
You make me wanna_

_You make me wanna, scream_

Cap finds herself completely outnumbered by the amount of Mr. Viruses coming at her, as well as her lack of energy to take them all down. She huffs in frustration.

"Better call in backup!" she pants.

Once she gathers enough air, she turns around and blows her whistle, signaling a hoard of Cap Whites to charge in, stab, slash, and bandage the vile bacteria into banishment.

_I feel safe with you  
I can be myself tonight  
It's alright with you  
Cause you hold my secrets tight  
You do, you do_

"GO!" Cap shouts as her doppelgangers continue to bind, stab and bash the viral army out of Bill's systems.

_You make me wanna lala lalala_

"Give up?" they ask confidently to the shrinking swarm.

The increase in white blood cells is more than a match for the deceptive viruses as the tide begins to turn in Bill's favor. So much so that he's practically lifting 100lb weights.

"Check me out, coach!" he shouts in determination.

_You make me wanna lala in the kitchen on the floor  
I'll be your French maid where I meet you at the door  
I'm like an alley cat  
Drink the milk up I want more  
You make me wanna_

As the encouraging dance and song of the Elite Beat Agents grow stronger, so does the tide against Mr. Virus and his gang of misfit bacteria as Cap White and her heroic entourage continue to squeeze them out one by one, proving that their tenacity is just as strong as Bill's will to get into the finals in peek condition.

_You make me wanna lala in the kitchen on the floor  
I'll be your French maid where I meet you at the door  
I'm like an alley cat  
Drink the milk up I want more  
You make me wanna  
You make me wanna scream_

"The last one!" Cap shouts, pointing at the final Mr. Virus, "Ready to meet your maker!?"

Enraged by his losing streak, Mr. Virus charges at her. But as they make another pass, Cap swings her syringe at him, taking him out with the natural medicine held inside.

"All lights are green!" she says with confidence.

_You make me wanna lala lalala lalala lalala lala_

The day of the final sprint arrives as all contestants lined up to try their chance at winning the gold. Standing among them is Bill, back to full health, and eager to continue his trek to victory for the fourth year in a row.

At the sound of the starter pistol, all sprinters rush off. In an instant, Bill takes the lead, leaving all competitions in the wake of his dust.

"GO BILL!" the coach shouts in enthusiasm and encouragement. The rest of the crowd watch and cheer with astonishment as the once ailing sprinter tears through the goal line.

The crowd is in uproar as Bill runs to his coach, holding his prized gold medal and kotinos.

"We did it, coach!" he cries with joy.

"Great job, Bill!" the coach shouts with equal joy.

But Bill secretly thanks his trusty immune system, who is really the reason he was able to win the race at all. Cap White doesn't mind, though.

"To protect and serve," is all she says with a wink of her eyelid.

* * *

Kahn observes Chieftain's success from his monitor in the EBA command room, a smile forming on his long mustache as his confidence in his determination lights up like a lantern.

"Well...whoever it is Chieftain wanted to apologize to," he mutters with a chuckle, "It seems you aren't the only one who should be happy at this accomplishment. Perhaps I've underestimated the will power and tenacity of the young and determined."

Standing outside the command room, unseen by the lone Commander, Ryuta barely watches from the side of the sliding doors. He shows no expression at first, but then smiles a bit before turning and walking away, allowing the doors to slide shut silently.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the deep swamps of the dark Japanese forests, an elderly shadow appears near the edge, peering down at it while clutching Hebi's Eye in his wrinkly hands.

"**You...have betrayed me...Doumeki Kai....**" he mutters distraughtly, "**The one true crusader who could have shown the world why God must be respected and worshiped...and you choose to follow the folly beliefs of those who think man can overcome everything just by encouraging them....**"

He looks down at Hebi's Eye, clutching it tighter as he trembles in more distraught, "**You are my only hope now.... You are the only one who truly understands what it takes to bring peace to this world....**"

He raises the Eye over his head as a heavy wind picks up, throwing his dragon whisker-like mustache around and giving off a more powerful appearance, "**With this Eye...I will raise you from the hell the demons have thrown you into...so that you may be by my side in my quest of bringing peace to this world...and showing man why God must be treated...neigh...WORSHIPED as the only being capable of washing away the evil infesting it....**"

With that, he throws the Eye into the swamp, watching it glow as it sank into the thick, mud-like substance. Several long hours pass before the bubbles protruding through the surface starts to increase in reaction to the Eye connecting with something at the bottom of the swamp.

Suddenly a large explosion erupts from beneath as a monstrous, human-like roar echoes throughout the dark forests. A giant shadow, three times larger than a bear flies out of the swamp with Hebi's Eye sticking out its face, darting around in fear and confusion of its surrounding.

_**WHERE AM I!? WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO ME!?**_ it shouts loud enough to send echoes nearly half a mile away.

The elderly shadow watches in stun and shock before regaining his unexpressed composure.

"**My little brother...now is not the time to ask questions.... The evil in this world is manifesting...deceiving man into believing that God is nothing more than a commoner like them.... The time has come to show them....**"

_**WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO ME!? WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO MY SIGHT!!! MY BODY!!! WHERE IS MY BODY!!! WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO MY BODY!!!**_

The monstrous shadow stares at its body in mass rage and terror, seeming completely unaware that it had once died. It snaps its head over to the elderly shadow, roaring as it stumbles away in shock and fright like it was scared of his appearance. Taken aback by the sudden outburst, he tries to reach out towards it.

"**It is I...your elder brother....**" he moves towards the monstrous shadow only to see it scramble away from him, "**Do not fear me...I am still the kind, loving brother that has nurtured you throughout the times we have lived among the mortals.... And now we must show them why they can never match the powers of the Gods....**"

Unbeknownst to him, the only thing the monstrous shadow hears are muffled murmurs, and seeing nothing but a few inches of clarity within the blurriness of its vision. It continues to roar, causing the swamps to explode and send murky water flying everywhere.

The elderly shadow could only watch in shock and confusion as the scene eventually dries up, leaving him the only presence in the dark, Japanese forest. Horrified, he stares at the remains of the swamp before him, trembling in every inch of his unidentified body.

"**My little brother...even he refuses to see the true power of the Gods...and is setting about to make the world revolve around his way of peace....**" he mutters worriedly as he looks to the sky obscured by the thick leaves of the forest trees, "**My Gods...please forgive me...I have once again made the grave mistake of choosing a being I believed would have been the one to show the world why you are to be worshipped as more than just a religious figure....**"


	34. Episode 34: The Christmas Wish

Episode 34: The Christmas Wish that Almost Wasn't

One early winter day, Mathew Stevens looks to his wife, Laura, and only daughter, Lucy, as he prepares to leave. He wears his business suit and carries a brief case in his hand.

"I gotta go," he said while heading to the door.

"Good luck, Daddy!" Lucy calls out excitedly. Laura walks over to Mathew and hugs him tightly.

"Bye dear," she said morosely, "Be careful, okay?"

After the two release hold, Mathew bends down to Lucy and pats her on the head.

"Lucy," he began, "Make a wish for Santa."

Lucy thinks hard before pointing to her teddy bear, "A girlfriend for Teddy!"

Mathew smiles warmly as he kisses his little daughter on the head, "I'll let Santa know."

As he opens the door and prepares to leave, Lucy suddenly speaks up.

"Daddy!" she calls, grabbing his attention as he turns his head to face her, "Promise you'll be back by Xmas."

"Yep," Mathew says reassuringly, "I promise." And with that, he steps out and closes the door.

* * *

It had been six months since Mathew left on his business trip. The eager-to-get-home father walks through the tunnel towards the plane, clutching in his briefcase one arm and a plastic bag in another. The bag is crystal clear, revealing a teddy bear matching that of Lucy's favorite bear, except with a red bow around its neck.

Once he boards the plane, he heads to the second class, finding most of the area crowded with other people waiting to get back home and greet their families after a long leave. There was only one seat available near the window where a one-eyed adolescent in a strange, long-tailed school outfit sat. Mathew wastes no time heading over to the seat, repositioning Teddy's new girlfriend on his lap while waiting for the plane to take off and sail back to New York where his eager wife and daughter waits.

A few hours after takeoff, he looks over to the adolescent staring out the window at the sun reflecting its bright light off the surface of the winter clouds. His eyebrows are furrowed slightly as if he's nervous about being on the plane, but he can somehow sense this was his usual behavior.

Mathew then notices something unusual wrapped around his shoulders and draped near the ankles; a cape shaped like the wings of a phoenix, tied together by a pair of fire-colored, peacock-like feathers. He's never seen so many beautiful and rare-looking feathers make up such a large cape before. Curious, he reaches over to touch one of the wings only to grab the adolescent's attention as he panics and yanks it off the armrest it laid on.

"Don't touch it!" he nearly wails, sending a jab of surprise shooting into Mathew's heart and nearly killing him. He pants hesitantly as he places the wing portion of the cape on his lap, muttering nervously as he stares back out the window, "It...it's very...priceless...."

Mathew blinks in total disbelief, unsure of why the boy would think of bringing along such an expensive cape if he was this concerned about someone ruining it. He decides not to pressure him further and stares out the window at the clouds below the plane.

"I remember the time my little daughter went on her first plane ride to visit her grandma a couple years back," he said after a while, once again grabbing the boy's attention as he eyes him, "She was surprised to find out that there were no angels living above the clouds like the stories she reads. And yet, she continues to believe heaven exists somewhere high above, no matter how much my wife thinks she should stop being stubborn and accept reality as it appears."

"Heaven does exist, that much I know," the boy mutters, gaining a raised eyebrow from Mathew, "There's a reason no living mortal can see them when they rise above the clouds."

"Really? Do you know what that reason is?"

The boy sighs and looks down at the clouds, "Because most of the angels can't trust the mortals' ability to cope with the truth."

From his point of view, there are millions of angels wandering the skies, monitoring the man and creatures that have died while ushering them down a line to await their fate, "Mortals tend to think they have a right to decide how a person should be tried; whether they should burn in hell, or rise to heaven. If they saw what really happened to the people who died, they might blame the angels for what they perceive to be a wrongful judgment and go about trying to right their 'errors'. Remaining elusive is the only option they can think of to prevent such mortals from making a mess of their decisions."

Suddenly, the sky darkens as a mysterious, black cloud blocks out the sun. Everyone inside the plane murmur while looking around, wondering what was going on. The adolescent blinks as a monstrous sense of dread fills his heart, causing him to tremble heavily. Looking outside the window, he sees a giant snake eye glaring down at the angels, who had stopped focusing on the ghosts wandering around the clouds to stare at it in equal shock and fright.

"_**WEAKLINGS!!!**_" shout the monstrous, black clouds obscuring the sun, "_**THEY HAVE ALLOWED WEAKLINGS TO CONTROL THIS WORLD!?!? UNFORGIVABLE!!!**_"

Lavender sparks of electricity crawls around the large, black cloud as the pupil thins to a line, "_**BEGONE FROM THIS WORLD, PUNY FILTHS!!! SO THAT PEACE WILL ACCEPT THE THIS WORLD AS THE GREAT FUTURE IT SHOULD REPRESENT!!!**_"

The sky bursts with lightning, hitting everything in sight. The ghosts panic and run around, trying to get away from the savage monster cloud while the angels rush towards it to try and scare it away.

One of the bolts hits the plane, destroying the engines and sending it spiraling out of control while the passengers inside scream and cling to one another, fretting the outcome of their fates as their only means of passage begins nose-diving towards whatever terrain it flew over.

Mathew begins to panic at the sight of the disaster unfolding around him, "No! This can't be happening! Not now!" He almost hugs the wrapped up teddy bear in his arms, "I promised Lucy I would be home for Christmas! I can't break that promise now! I can't!!!"

* * *

Meanwhile, half a city away from the Stevens residence, a terrified elephant roar nearly shakes the foundation of the small house near the lake belonging to the former Agent Techno. Fortunately, no one heard the noise, or felt the ground shake beneath them, because the creature that spout it is nothing more than a figment of the agent's drunk mind.

"WHAT'RE YOU DOING!?!? YOU'RE SCURRYING THE WRONG WAY!!! SCURRY BACKWARDS, YOU WUSSES!!! NO, NO!!! STOP!!! AT LEAST LET ME GET OUT OF THE WAY FIRST!!!"

Spin had just arrived at the base of the lawn leading to the condo, wearing a black, puffy parka over his usual, unbuttoned Ouendan outfit, and earmuffs shaped like his headphones (Which he left back at EBA Central) covering his ears, when he overhears the loud trumpet and felt the trembling of the pavement he stood on. Sighing, he rubs the back of his head in annoyance.

"Oh goody...they're at it again," he mutters, obviously aware of what's going on and what's to come; where as if he wasn't able to sense spirits, he wouldn't even be aware that someone (or something) has invaded his uncle's crib.

Only seconds after arriving, floods of rats, spiders and ants poured out of the walls, all screaming and scrambling to get out of the way. Among them, apparently caught in the tide is a large, pink elephant flailing his arms and trunk as he struggles to upright himself.

"STOP!!! CEASE!!! DESIST, YOU MORONS!!! I CAN'T SWIM!!!" he wails before a tidal wave of rodent and insect wash over him.

Spin just stood on one of the square pavements, watching as the flood flew right through his calves a few minutes before the pink elephant emerges, groaning, dazed and bewildered. A rat and spider, almost twice the size of the rodent swarm rushes over to the elephant, jittering with fright.

"Boss! Boss, you okay!?" the rat squeaked.

It took a minute before the elephant springs to his feet, yelling and snorting a trumpet sound from his trunk.

"I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!! MONTH AFTER MONTH OF BEING TRAMPLED BY RATS AND INSECTS, AND SCARED SILLY BY HIS REPELLING ANTICS IS TOO MUCH!!!"

"Y'know, Horton," Spin said, crossing his arms, "I think it's time you got a new routine. This whole 'scare the drunkards' gig ain't gonna work on a lot of people; namely my Unc."

"_**NO!!!**_" Horton roars, grabbing Spin and shaking him dizzy, "I won't give up! Drunkards need to be scared shitless! It's the only way to get them to recover from the booze and quit drinking!"

"Hey, I get you're supposed to be the key element in curing people who hit the bottle one too many times, but this is Agent Techno, you're harassing! He ain't scared of anythin' short of my parents' death last year!" Spin suddenly snaps his fingers, "Hey! I got it! You're deader than dead, right? Maybe you can get Mom and Pop to come down here and do something about this!"

Horton growls as he drops Spin, "What do you think I am, a ghost whisperer!? Just because I work like a ghost doesn't mean I can just snap my fingers and expect them to appear out of nowhere! For starters, I don't even have fingers to snap with!" he then drops on all four feet and turns away from Spin, "Besides, every spirit in existence is combing the area for them, and they couldn't find hide, nor hair! Not even the angels have records of them ever showing up!"

"Then what'll we do!?" Spin yelps, "At the rate this is goin', Unc's gonna repeat the same disaster that nearly killed him last year!"

Horton frowns in frustration, "I hate to do this, but I have no choice!" he turns his head and points his trunk at the rat, "George! Get my cell phone!" his frown tightens in determination, "I'm pulling my _**trump card!**_"

Both George and the spider grab each other while screaming in hysteria, "No! NO! You can't, Boss! It's too much!"

"You know how much he hates dealing with stubborn drunks!" the spider cries, "We'll be lucky if Techno doesn't end up in a psych ward after he has his way with him!"

"If it'll get him off the bottle, then I'll let him burn the entire condo down!" Horton growls, "Techno needs a wake-up call, and I'm gonna do everything I can to make sure he answers it, even if it means giving him nightmares for eternity!"

"So...you gonna fill me in on this trump card gig?" Spin asks curiously.

"You don't know Yatto Doumeki!?" George squeaks fearfully, "He's one of the strictest people to ever walk this planet!"

"He's been known to desensitize even the most stubborn of people just by staring at them!" the spider whimpers, "Not even his younger brother dares defy his strict discipline!"

"And if that wasn't enough! He's a super strong Muay Thai fighter! He can easily crumble a statue with nothing more than a medium-size backhand!"

Spin cringes nervously, "And you're callin' him down here to beat my uncle around!? You must be outta your mind!"

"Don't forget, kid!" Horton snarls, "I am the Pink Elephant! I can do whatever I please if it'll get the drunkards to lose the booze and swear never to lay a fingernail on it again!"

Spin's cringe increases as Horton marches down the street with George and the spider following shakily behind. If this Yatto person really is as dangerously strict as his slightly weak ears can make out, he would definitely have to keep an eye on Techno to make sure he isn't driven further into his wine cellar, looking for more hard drinks to drown himself in.

* * *

Early the next morning, Lucy walks towards the fireplace of her peaceful little home where pictures of the family line up along the walls. She picks one up with a look of excitement in her eyes.

"Mommy," she said, "When Daddy gets home...."

Laura skulks into the living room, looking distraught and upset.

"Lucy," she mutters, "Let's not talk about Daddy, honey." She kneels before her daughter and places her hands on her shoulders, "Daddy got into an accident. And he's not coming back."

Lucy was livid at what she heard, "Daddy's coming home! He promised!"

Laura shakes her dizzy, "Lucy, don't you understand!? Forget about Daddy!" she then gets up and skulks into the next room, "It's hard for me too...."

Lucy begins to tremble from the shock of her mother's out lash and the thought of her promise being broken, "Daddy...."

Unbeknownst to the two remaining members of the Stevens family, a transparent shadow stands outside the window, observing the scene in equal distraught and helplessness.

_Lucy.... I'm sorry...._

* * *

The clouds surrounding the skies of New York darken to nightfall. The crowd doesn't notice, however, as they were warned early on of a possible snowstorm hitting the city.

A giant snake eye suddenly opens up over them, darting its pupil around to observe the sight below it.

_**THOSE WEAKLINGS!!! **_booms a voice as loud as the howling winds picking up around the crowded city,_** THEY HAVE RUINED IT!!! THEY HAVE RUINED THE FUTURE OF OUR PEACE BY INFESTING IT WITH THEIR DISGUSTING, WEAK MINDS AND POWER!!!**_

The winds blowing through the city grew stronger, forcing most of the crowd to tighten their hold on whatever parkas and coats they wore in a fit to stay warm. Suddenly, the street lamps and neon lights begin to explode one by one, sending wires and glass flying into the wind.

Everyone snaps to attention and began running around, screaming and crying into the nearest shelter they can find. Just the sight of their reaction to the unfolding disaster further angers the being possessing the large snake eye as its pupil glows a bright, lavender light.

_**THE GODS ARE USELESS!!! ALL OF THEM!!! THEY SULLY THE WEAK AND ALLOW THEM TO DO AS THEY PLEASE TO THIS WORLD, RUINING IT AND DRIVING AWAY THE PEACE THAT IT DESERVES!!! I MUST DESTROY THEM ALL BEFORE THEY STRIP THIS WORLD OF ALL ITS GOOD AND POWER!!!**_

After several hours of glaring at every person fleeing for their lives, the eye fixes on a lone figure stepping out of a rundown Muay Thai training dojo; the muscular man from the hospital responsible for beating the sleazy pimp to a pulp and stopping his business from making hell to all disabled women across the globe.

The snake-like pupil thins to a line as the shadow gasps in horror, seeming to recognize something about him.

_**MY BODY!!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO IT!?!? IT IS RUINED!!!**_ it roared, grabbing the man's attention as he looks around to figure out where it came from. _**GIVE ME BACK MY BODY!!! NOW!!!**_

A bolt of lightning shoots down from the eye and slams into the muscular man, causing him to scream in pain as a similar snake eye appears on his remaining eye, causing the black clouds to suck down to it like a vacuum.

The effect of the cloud being drawn into the man's transformed eye causes the entire city to quake, sending more people fleeing for the nearest shelter to escape the raining rubble from falling buildings, streetlights and telephone lines unbolting from the sheer intensity.

* * *

Ryuta walked along the sidewalk of the quiet city, reading an address on a piece of paper that leads to Techno's house. With the third oldest Agent too busy sticking his head in a barrel of whisky to acknowledge some of the achievements the rest of EBA was making without him, the Ouendan volunteered to sacrifice some of their Christmas downtime to help Spin pull him out of the barrel before he literally drowns.

Unfortunately, the map and details leading to the address weren't clear as Techno accidentally spilled a bottle of Heineken on the paper before to got faxed to their dojo, making it hard to figure out which street to take. The eight resorted to just using their spiritual senses to point them to where the condo might be and split up to take different routes, seeing which one is the fastest and more convenient.

As he was passing by the outskirts of the park, he sensed a flare of distraught and confusion. Looking to the source, he sees Lucy dragging her feet along the asphalt path a few feet from the near emptiness of the city, holding Teddy in her arms. She sighs gloomily as the thought of her father never coming back slowly begins to sink into her head.

Lucy is no stranger to death; it has a sinister habit of taking away those people love no matter what kind of promises they make. The thought of it deviously stealing her father away haunts her mind, making her feel vulnerable and unable to understand the ways of life.

After wandering the park for a while, she comes across a frozen lake with a boat sticking out of it, ice fused along the sides and bottom of the boat. Lucy immediately perks up.

"Look, Teddy! That's the lake Daddy took Mommy to on their first honeymoon!" she squeals, "Back when Mommy used to say nice things about Daddy before he began leaving on his business trips!"

She then looks over to her stuffed friend excitedly, "Hey Teddy! Want to practice your gentlemen skills? It'll do you good when Daddy comes home with your new girlfriend!"

Lucy heads over to the frozen lake and places Teddy on the boat before climbing in a second later. She giggles as she gives him a wink and a raised finger.

"I know this doesn't seem like much, but pretend I'm your new girlfriend," she began before picking up the handles of the oars resting on the sides of the boat, "Now the man is supposed to row this boat, but I want to teach you how Daddy uses these wooden paddles."

Ryuta continues to watch before preparing to leave. It shouldn't be his business what this little girl thinks as long as her spirits remain high and confident even when she accepts the fact that her father may never be able to keep 100 percent of his promise.

Lucy struggles to lift the oar, her size and strength working against her as she only manages to raise them half a foot off the ground before dropping them to catch her breath. She looks towards Teddy, laughing nervously.

"Wow...." she mumbles, "No wonder Daddy wants to row this boat. These wooden paddles are too heavy for Mommy to lift."

Lucy stares at the oars again, which continue to stand over her, with her hands still grasped around the handles. She then takes a deep breath and uses all of her strength to move them again. With luck, she manages to raise them three feet into the air, but just as she was about to bask in the glory of her success, the weight quickly overpowers her, causing the paddles to slam back into the lake while nearly tearing her arms out of their sockets.

The impact with the frozen surface of the lake causes it to shatter and break apart, freeing the frigid, cold water while the chunks began drifting around. Lucy looks around as she felt the boat begin sliding into the water and drifting away from the docks a few feet before the rope attached to one of the pillars snags, bringing it to a halt.

"Uh oh...." she mutters, "I think I broke the lake...."

She tries to get up only to feel the boat wobble and knock her back into a sitting position, causing her to whimper in fright.

"Teddy...." She mutters worriedly, "I don't think it's a good idea to be here anymore. We gotta get back to shore!"

Lucy grabs the handles and tries to lift them again. With her adrenaline pumping, she manages to push them high into the air. She attempts to swing them downward only to feel the handles slip out of her fingers, bouncing off the side and into the lake.

Her whimpering increases as she turns around and reaches out to the side, trying to grab one of the oars while keeping the boat from spilling them into the freezing cold lake. But her efforts continue to work against her as her fingers were only close enough to push it out of the way.

Now in full-blown hysterics, Lucy scrambles to the other side of the boat in a vain attempt to pick up the other oar. But her quick momentum, and heavy lean to the adjacent end causes it to tip over, allowing water to spill into the boat and further turning the tides of her chances of a dry get away.

Lucy feels the water splash onto her snow boots, causing a painfully freezing sensation that almost felt like she was sinking into a box of frozen needles. The deeper she sank, the more her body writhed in frigid pain. She tries to clamber away from the incoming water only to slam into the bottom of the boat as it was too far tipped to the side to be pushed back into position.

Finally out of options, she grabs her teddy bear and clutches it tightly, screaming in agony as she fears the thought of drowning before she's able to see her daddy again.

Just as Ryuta had covered three feet of the distance between him and the lake, his heart suddenly jolts as a voice echoes in his mind.

_Lucy...!_

Turning sharply, he sees the boat flipped over and several shards of ice drifting along the surface of the lake. Lucy is nowhere to be found among the surface.

Lucy clutches her soaked Teddy as she sinks deeper into the darkness of the lake, the pain and cold of the water leaving her too weak to struggle. Her only thought is wanting to scream for her dad to rescue her; he has to have seen her fall in and rush over to rescue her...he has to.... But the further she sinks, the less she believed he would even acknowledge she was in danger.

Just as she was about to surrender her life to the frigidness of the lake, she sees something dive in, swimming towards her as it reached for her hand. The tails of a trench coat flapped around the shadow, giving off a somewhat familiar appearance.

_Daddy...._ Lucy thinks as she loses consciousness from the lack of air and warmness, _I knew you'd come...._

* * *

Horton stands outside a local bar in Queens, tapping his foot impatiently as his trunk presses a gray cell phone to his right ear.

"He's not answering!" he growled, "He should still be in his office, sorting through the exams he had those kids take before winter break!"

"M-maybe he left early," George mutters, "Finished looking through the exams and took off to spend time with his family and friends. You know how important they are compared to a mundane job like teaching at an elementary school...."

"And I don't count as his friend!?" Horton exclaims, getting into George's face, "I swear, when I get my hands on him, I'm gonna...!"

Just as he was about to finish his threat, he hears several grunts and turns to see a bandaged fist flies into his face, causing everything to go black.

"BOSS!!!" Horton's two henchmen shout in shock and horror.

* * *

Spin drives Techno's old buggy down the streets of Manhattan, sighing in frustration over everything he had seen and heard. Unlike his hunk of junk called a convertible, the buggy performed much better; mostly likely thanks to Techno being smart enough not to ride it while plastered beyond recognition.

He still can't get over the thought of what Yatto looks like and how dangerous his disciplinary antics will be once he meets Techno face to face. And yet, he feels just as desperate to lock up the cellar as Horton is. Perhaps once he meets Yatto he could at least do something to tone down his exploding temper and get him to be a little easy on him once he's sure Techno is more than scared out of his beer-bellied flab of mass.

The sight of someone crawling out of the Huston River immediately cuts off his thoughts. Spin stops the buggy as he sticks his head out the window to see a young adolescent with the same uniform as the Ouendan tremble exhaustedly before collapsing to the sidewalk, surprisingly dry given he had just come from the frigidness of the river.

At a distance, Spin almost mistook him for Hajime. But as he got out of the buggy and ran towards him, he notices a three-strapped eyepatch instead of the black, horn-rim glasses that was his most recent eyewear, and a cross-shaped scar three times larger than Kai's, as well as black bandages around his ankles and calf instead of black boots. To make things more curious, the mysterious Ouendan is out of color, looking more like a ghost than a human being.

Spin raises his eyebrow in curiosity as he takes his parka off and draps it around the Ouendan, keeping him warm as he uses it as a handle to help him into the buggy.

* * *

Laura sat in the kitchen, sighing worriedly as she places her lips upon her folded hands. It had been nearly five hours since Lucy took her teddy bear and ran out of the house; most likely to cry her eyes out while holding onto the folly belief that her father would still be home despite what she had been told earlier.

Lucy has been known to have a stubborn mind when it comes to hearing something she liked. No matter how much she knows the truth behind reality and life, she continues to believe stuff that others call a complete figment of her imagination. And the recent death of her father was no different. Even now she continues to believe he would keep his promise, and is probably searching every corner of the neighborhood and city just to prove he will come home soon.

She hears the howling wind and looks outside the window, seeing several snowflakes get tossed around in the strong current of the wind.

"Lucy...." she mutters, "You better not be searching for Daddy.... You know there will be a storm approaching. And I don't want you to get lost and freeze looking for him...."

As she continues to watch the wind grow stronger, and the white of the snow spread further along the ground, her heart begins to race, wondering what could've happened to Lucy to make her stay out so late in the storm. Was she kidnapped on her back here? Did she get into an accident like her father?

Laura suddenly snaps back to her senses and jerks her head away from the window, throwing it against her hands as she shakes the horrifying thoughts from her mind.

"Oh...Mathew what have you done to me...." she muttered, rubbing her fingers on her temple, "Now you have me thinking bad things about what happened to Lucy...."

Laura is suddenly startled by the sound of a thud outside. She snaps her head back to the window, seeing nothing but the small porch leading to the main doorway. There was only one person she knows who would come trudging to her door at this time of day.

"Lucy...." she mutters. Thinking she had tripped on one of the cracks in the pavement in her haste to get out of the storm, Laura gets up and heads over to the coat rack, taking a purple parka out while opening the door with a frustrated look on her face.

"Young lady," she began, rather sharply, "I don't know what you were thinking, running out of this house when you knew there was a storm coming, but I-!"

Laura suddenly stops as her eyes widen in horror upon seeing Ryuta laying sideways on the pathway, his drenched bangs, topknot and bandana tails spilled out around him as he shivers violently from the harsh, winter storm.

Adding to her horror, buried tight within his shivering arms is the unconscious sight of her only clutch on life; Lucy. She isn't shivering as bad as Ryuta, but the pale skin and furrowed eyebrows gave an idea of how they had wound up in this predicament. And despite the harrowing ordeal of being stuck in the lake for a long time, she continues to clutch her teddy bear, equally soaked, but still maintaining his cheerful, cute expression.

Laura continues to stand between the doorway, wide-eyed and trembling before yelling in fright and rushing out into the snow towards the two fallen figures, feeling like the entire world is crashing before her at the thought of losing her only daughter to yet another fatal accident.


	35. Episode 35: Defining Miracles

Episode 35: Defining Miracles

Early one night, at an elementary school deep within Evening Town, excited screams fill the building as a flood of different monsters and spirits pour out of the door, cheering and singing Christmas carols in English and Japanese. Among them is a white, emaciated-looking wolf with a 12in snout baring 12in high, gold fangs, and black stripes along her nose. Her yellow eyes are the size of baseballs, with red lashes over the top, as well as small, black ears.

"YAHOO!!!" she howls as she flies out of the doors, throwing papers everywhere while singing rather poorly, "**CHRISTMAS DAY IS ALMOST HERE!!!**"

Following her out, in a more mild mannered fashion, is a short, mildly chubby, brown furred cat with yellow stripes and two, 7ft tails, wearing an officer's hat and black, horn-rimmed glasses.

The wolf turns and grabs his shoulders, lifting him up while shaking him excitedly, "**You know what this means!? We don't have to deal with a bunch of rowdy children, or think of what to teach them for a whole two weeks!**"

She drops the cat and points towards the horizon, "**C'mon! Let's catch up with Yatto and hang out with his friends! I know Jago and Aimay would be thrilled to see us again after a long time away from each other!**"

Just as they were preparing to leave, a blood-curdling scream echoes throughout the school, followed by an elephant's roar. The wolf turns to see Horton grab her by the shoulders and shake her crazy. His once pink body is riddled with bumps, bruises and cross-shaped bandages, along with a black eye on his left eye.

"YOU GOTTA HELP ME!!!" he wails in hysteria, "HE'S GONNA KILL US ALL!!!"

"Eh?" the wolf squeaks nervously.

"I WAS HANGING OUT AT THE BAR IN QUEENS, WAITING FOR YATTO TO ANSWER HIS CELL..._**THEN **_**HE **_**SHOWS UP AND WAILS ON ME TO NEAR EXTINCTION!!!**_"

"**And you're in hysterics?**" the wolf mutters, lowering her large eyelids halfway nonchalantly, "**You know how much he hates being interrupted from his time off with his family and friends.**"

"NO!!! NOT HIM!!! _**HIM!!!**_ THE _**HEARTBREAKER**_ IS BACK FROM THE DEAD!!! _**AND HE'S OUT OF CONTROL!!!**_"

The wolf stifles an annoyed huff.

"**Is this your idea of a joke?**" she growls, "**We all know that crazy old man has been causing trouble trying to make everyone worship him as some God of Peace, but even he wouldn't go as far as bringing his own brother back from the dead after all the nightmares he caused Japan alone!**"

"The boss never jokes about stuff like this!" George stutters as he clings to Horton's left leg while shaking in fear.

"We were there when _**HE**_ showed up!" the spider squeals, clinging to Horton's right leg with all eight of his arms and legs, "He clobbered the boss good, then went and destroyed half of Queens before disappearing!"

Horton shakes the wolf again, his battered and terrified face worsening, "WE GOTTA WARN THE AGENTS!!! WE GOTTA WARN THE OUENDAN!!! WE GOTTA WARN YATTO!!!_** HE'S GONNA KILL THEM ALL, AND EVERY LAST BEING ON EARTH!!!**_"

* * *

Laura sits beside Lucy's bed, watching her rest underneath the three layers of blankets thrown over her to keep her snug and warm. Though she still remains pale, she hasn't reached the point where she would have to be taken to a hospital to treat the severe cases of hypothermia. Still, just the sight of Lucy in this condition made Laura even more upset, fretting the outcome if she gets worse...or succumbs to the cold.

"_Mommy...?_" murmurs a voice. Laura snaps her head down to see Lucy struggle to open her eyes while shivering from the numbness surrounding her body.

"I'm here, honey...." she mutters worriedly as she places a hand on Lucy's forehead, and another on her chest, "Everything will be okay...."

"_Where's Daddy...?_" Lucy mutters, "_Is he here too...?_"

Laura frowns in frustration, "Lucy, I already told you...."

"_But I saw him.... When I fell into the lake you had your first honeymoon on...he dove into the lake and saved me just before I passed out...._"

Laura's frown tightens in distraught as Lucy's voice begins to slur, "_I...I told you...he would be home...like he promised...._"

Laura prepares to scold Lucy for being dumb and brash, but before she could open her mouth, her trembling stops. She almost thought Lucy had lost her grip on life...until she heard her breathing, indicating she had merely lost consciousness.

"Lucy...." she mutters, her shaking increasing as she gets up and skulks out of the room. It seemed, no matter how hard she tries, fate would never let her go on with life without bombarding her with thoughts of what could have been.

She heads towards the kitchen to prepare some hot food; perhaps it'll help her forget everything that happened and move on with her life. As she passes by the couch, she saw a brown, blanket carelessly tossed onto it, and the pillow-like cushion resting against one of the armrests had been dented inward, indicating that someone once laid here.

Blinking in fright, Laura was about to begin a frantic search of the house when she caught something out of the corner of her eye and turns to see Ryuta in an open area of the living room, struggling to do one-handed push-ups with his right hand while keeping his left behind his back.

Though slightly less pale than Lucy, Ryuta continues to shiver and breathe heavily. His topknot had been undone, leaving his hair spilled over his face as it hides the signs of physical exhaustion.

"What're you doing!?" Laura nearly wails in fright of what the ailing Ouendan is doing, "You've only been unconscious for half an hour! You shouldn't be pushing your body around like that!"

"I'm...a...already...running late...." Ryuta mutters weakly as he bounces to the other hand and continues his push-ups, "C...Can't keep them...waiting any longer...."

"But it's still storming outside! You won't last in the condition you're in!"

"J...Just n...need a couple of...warm-ups...and I'll b...be fine...."

Ryuta finishes by using his left hand to catapult himself to his feet. But the moment he lands upright his head becomes riddled with lightheaded dizziness, causing him to lose focus as his legs buckle and send him crumbling to his side.

Laura panics as she rushes over to and carries him back to the couch, spreading him across it while pulling the blanket over his near freezing body.

"Please don't strain yourself," she mutters worriedly, "You've done too much already; saving my daughter from whatever frozen water she fell into and carrying her back here soaking wet."

Ryuta grunts as he struggles to stay conscious, shivering harder while gasping from the nauseating congestion in his chest, "If I just let you walk out of here in that storm while you're still freezing and wet, just the thought of you collapsing from the cold will haunt me for the rest of my life. So please...just take it easy for a while!"

Ryuta eyes Laura as she skulks into the kitchen, trembling everywhere while placing her hand back on the side of her mouth. Blue flames engulf her person, indicating that she is highly distraught over what had just happened earlier. And his attempt at getting back to the task at hand only made her dilemma worse. Ryuta feels as though he had just stumbled into a situation involving the loss of a dearly beloved member of the family.

* * *

"Wow, what a ghost town," Morris mutters as Chieftain drove the EBA convertible through the desolate and deserted city of Queens, "This gives a new meaning to the quote 'Not a creature was stirring'."

Though the place appears dark and obscured by the heavy snowstorm, it wasn't hard to recognize the devastation that occurred earlier. The entire city had been deserted of all life, while window, streetlamps and other inanimate objects are destroyed, crumbled, or scattered around by the harsh, freezing wind.

"So, tell me again why we're out here?" Derek asked, "I'm sure lots of other places have horrendous earthquakes all the time."

"But have you ever seen one occur in New York?" Chieftain asked, "Since it doesn't rest on any faults, or have a volcano nearby, it's impossible for such an earthquake to destroy parts of the city. That's why the Commander pushed back our vacation time to come down here and figure out what caused it. For all we know, it could require our help."

Just as he had finished talking, the convertible rams into a pile of snow in the middle of the street. The impact tears it in half, revealing the appearance of a muscular back and baldhead. The trio looked to each other before climbing out and running over to the body, pulling the rest of it out to reveal the scars and eyepatch of someone Morris immediately recognizes.

"Hey! It's Mr. Doumeki's older brother!" Morris points out, "Yatto, I think it was."

"Well, what's he doing in the middle of the street at a time like this?" Derek asked.

"My guess is that he was trying to escape the quake only to get knocked around to near unconsciousness," Chieftain mutters, stroking his curled beard, "We should take him back to base and nurse him back to health. Maybe he can tell us what went down here."

The two nod as they each grab an arm and haul the large man back to their convertible.

* * *

The one-eyed Ouendan muffles a groan as he opens his eye to find himself in a one square room with nothing but a closet and a window making up half the walls.

He blinks in shock as he props himself on his hands, finding himself laying on a white futon with a thick blanket covering him from the shoulders down. He looks around the unfamiliar room, trying to figure out where he is and how he wound up here.

Before he could finish surveying the room, he hears the door open and snaps his head over to see Spin scramble in, shutting it behind him. He has a white, wireless phone in his hand, and his earmuffs, parka and gakuran coat were removed, revealing his white, muscle-T.

"God! Crazy uncle of mine!" he growls as he plants his fists on his sides in frustration, "He's so plastered, he doesn't even want to think his decisions are brash and stupid!"

Spin then looks over to the Ouendan, noticing him staring back in confusion and worry, and turns around to face him, "Well, look who just dragged himself out of Slumberland! Didn't take you long to wake up."

The one-eyed Ouendan freaks out as he looks down at his arms, reestablishing his transparency, before snapping his head back to Spin, seeing him walk towards him with a cocky grin on his face. Terrified of the approaching Agent, he scoots away from his advance until his back hits the wall.

Spin immediately stops at the foot of the futon, his grin dropping to a confused cringe before realizing the terrified Ouendan is still ghostly blue and transparent, seeming to suggest he wasn't supposed to be seen by anyone.

"Um...about that...." Spin chuckles nervously while scratching his chin sheepishly, "It's...kinda hard to explain but-"

"Where are you, ya confounded brat!?" shouts a voice from outside. Spin stumbles to face the door in time to see Techno slap it clear off its stopper and barge inside, glaring at him with his blood-shot, enraged eyes.

"It's bad enough that you're stealin' all the alcohol and dumping them in the kitchen sink!" Techno growls while marching towards Spin, "But to stealin' the phone away when I need it most is too many straws on my back!"

"Uncle! You're bein' crazy!" Spin exclaims, clutching the phone tightly in his hand, "You can't call the exterminator for somethin' that's only messing with your head! They'll send you to the loony bin in the split second they hear the word 'pink'!"

Techno gets into his face while backing him towards the wall away from the futon, "Don't even dare drop another one of your ridiculous lies on me! I know you was a troublemaker since you was old enough to walk! My brother had to pull you away from everythin' you could get your hands on, and stop you from makin' a fool of yourself whenever guests come over for a visit! And now that he's gone, you got to do exactly what you want without bein' stopped by anyone!"

Spin's agitated frown worsens the more he hears Techno's lambasting, "That's why I destroyed that god-awful nightmare of a mansion and moved into a house in the heart of Manhattan! So that you wake up and realize exactly what my brother went through when he brought you into this world! But rather than feel sorry for the hell he went through raisin' you, you bullied the authorities into believin' I was tryin' to kill myself by drinkin' myself silly and got them to put me on suicide watch, just so you can continue bullyin' me and making my life even more miserable!"

"Now you're just lookin' for an excuse to keep downin' the booze while makin' me look like some kind of bad guy who lives to see you suffer! I already told you, I had nothin' to do with the authorities putting you on a suicide watch! And the reason I keep comin' over here is because I don't-!"

Techno grabs the phone and attempts to rip it out of Spin's hands, "To hell with you, then! To hell with every decision you force onto me like you was some God controllin' how I should live! As of today, I ain't takin' no more crap from you, or anyone else who thinks they can control my life! Whatever decisions made will be on MY terms, when I want to make them! And YOU will have no say in what I do! NOW GIVE ME THE DAMN PHONE!!!"

Spin struggles to keep the phone from slipping out of his hands, but Techno's strength is unusually stronger than he first appeared, swinging him around and sending him stumbling off his feet half the time.

"Uncle!" he yells while staggering to keep his feet planted on the floor, "Uncle, stop it! You don't know what you're gettin' yourself into!"

Spin's warnings fall to deaf ear as Techno does nothing but continue to throw him around while struggling to wrench the phone from his hand. After five wrestling minutes, the youth's clammy and sweaty hands finally lose grip, allowing the older to perform a bat swing, tearing the phone away from him while throwing him against the closet, nearly causing them to break from the impact.

Now with the prize in his hands Techno turns his back to Spin and begins punching in the number for an exterminator only to hear buzzing due by the heavy snowstorm corrupting the phone lines outside. Growling in frustration, he throws the phone to the floor, breaking it in half, and storms out of the room.

The one-eyed Ouendan stares at the scenario before him in complete shock as Spin muffles some curse words while picking up and snapping the phone back together, then gets up and heads out of the room, barely remembering the fact that he was still lingering around.

* * *

Back at the Stevens residence, a transparent figure appears in front of the couch, looking at Ryuta laying across it with the blanket wrapped around him like a taco.

His shivering had stopped and his breathing slowed to a relaxed, quiet snooze. His hair, despite being dry, continues to lay flopped in a mildly wild bunch with a couple of spikes sticking out the top of his bangs.

The figure continues to stare at Ryuta, thinking back to the moment he appeared before the family. Could the reason he saw and came to Lucy's rescue be because he heard him call her name? In the situation she was in, it would be hard for her to even cry for help without having water running into her throat.

The ghost shakes his head, thinking it was just a coincidence how he saw she was in danger, and turns to the fireplace adjacent to the couch, staring at the row of pictures lined up on top of it. He observes the pictures of Lucy and Laura with a more worrisome look on his face.

"They miss you a lot," mutters a voice. The figure blinks and turns to see Ryuta eye him from the couch, though it was hard to tell with the larger of his bangs flopped over the right side of his face.

_So you did hear me calling her back at the lake.... _the figure mutters nervously, _Are...are you a ghost whisperer?_ Ryuta tsks as he turns his head towards the backrest of the couch.

"I have more important things to do than spend my entire life chasing ghosts and helping them cross over," he mutters.

_Then...you must be an angel like the one I saw on the plane...._

Ryuta turns his head over to the ghost, "One on the plane?"

The ghost furrows his eyebrows as he looks out the window at the slowly dying snowstorm, _I saw a young man sitting on the plane I took...with wings like a phoenix and a large, cross-shaped scar that took out his left eye.... He was the last person I saw before a strange storm struck the plane and sent it crashing into the ocean near where it was supposed to land...._

He lowers his head in deep remorse, _I hardly felt any pain when the plane crashed, but I knew it would only be a matter of time before I either drown or bleed to death.... But...then I noticed a pair of wings wrapped around me, and him stooping over me as he grips his hands on my shoulders.... The next thing I knew...I was outside this house...watching my wife tell my daughter that I had broken my promise...and to forget I ever existed...._

He looks towards the door on the second floor, leading to Lucy's room, _She tries so hard to hold onto the belief that I would be home before Christmas.... I'd hate to see what happens when she finds out I won't be able to make it back...._

Ryuta compresses his lips, about to say something when he heard footsteps coming towards him. Both look towards the doorway to the kitchen to see Laura walk in with a tray in her hands containing two cups of hot chocolate and a bowl of warm oatmeal.

She doesn't even look at Ryuta as she places the tray on the coffee table in front of the couch and sits down on the other end of the couch, picking up one of the cups of hot chocolate and sipping it quietly.

Not wanting to upset her more, Ryuta sits up, draping the blanket around his shoulders, takes the bowl of oatmeal and begins eating it. The next few minutes pass quietly before Laura looks up at the top of the fireplace, staring at the pictures of Mathew, some by himself, others with either her, Lucy, or both.

"I should clean up this room," Laura mumbles while looking down at her cup, "Maybe move some furniture and toss out a few things...."

Ryuta stops eating and looks over to her, sensing her increased distraught and angst as a worrying sign that she's trying even harder to forget everything about Mathew in a vain attempt to move on with her life.

"I doubt turning your back to one you cherish most is going to make your life any easier," he said while placing the bowl back on the tray.

"You don't understand...." Laura mutters shakily, "It's barely been a day since he left us and I already miss him. Every hour I'm not doing something is focused on why he's never coming back, slowing me down and making me fret what will happen if I don't do something to get on with my life."

She places the cup back on the tray, her body trembling in agony, "Forgetting is the only way I can move on.... If I don't stop remembering him for any reason, then the thought of his death will continue to haunt my mind until I can no longer bear leaving the house for fear that I might break down in the middle of the city and cry my eyes shut.... But Lucy...no matter how much she knows the grim reality of the world, she still won't accept the fact that he's gone.... She continues to talk about what's going to happen when he comes home...and how we'll all be happy when he does...."

Laura cups her hands over her mouth as she tries to breathe out the anxiety congesting her lungs, "I just couldn't stand it anymore and told her to forget about the promise; forget about everything he said before he left; and just accept the fact that he's gone.... But she just yelled at me and ran out of the house...expecting to find him wandering the park where we had our first honeymoon...."

Tears start to stream down her face as her voice begins to break up, "Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, she goes and nearly kills herself falling into the lake.... I don't know if it's because she finally accepted the fact that he's gone and wants to drown herself just to see him again.... But if you hadn't found and brought her back here before the storm grew worse...I'm worried that she'd...and I'd...." she chokes on the last of her words as her trembling increases.

Ryuta compresses his lips in concern as he places his hand on her shoulder as a show of sympathy. In reaction, she whips around and throws her arms around him, sobbing quietly in shock and devastation. He stares at her in surprise before regaining his concerned composure, wrapping his arms around her in an attempt to comfort and calm her down.

* * *

"**Wow! This is so cool!**" Aoi squeals in excitement as she stares out the window of the Ouendan bus at the tunnel lights, "**I've never been in Central before! How awesome!**"

"**This is way better than spending most of the day wandering around New York, looking for Techno-san's home,**" Sayaka said as she looks out another window.

Hajime sighs as he continues to drive the bus down the tunnel to the EBA garage. He still couldn't believe he got talked into driving the Cheer Girls down to EBA Central rather than just taking them to New York and doing the searching there.

"**Are you sure this is a good idea?**" he asked after a while, "**Last I checked the others were too busy with something else to deal with sobering up Techno.**"

"**Quit being such a worry wart!**" Aoi whines as she plops back in her seat and holds her fists up in protest.

"**I don't about Ryuta and the others,**" Anna began, sitting in the back of the bus while crossing her arms, "**But I ain't trudging through the snow, using my sixth sense for something we could just look up on a map!**"

"**And besides,**" Sayaka pitches in, "**It's not going to kill them to spend three seconds revising the map that was ruined by Techno-san's spilled beer.**"

Hajime muffles a groan as he reluctantly continues driving. He began to understand what Spin went through when the Divas pestered him to take them to Japan six months ago.

* * *

The elderly shadow stumbles through the destroyed city of Queens, shaking as he observes the desertion of all life.

"**My little brother....**" he mutters distraughtly, "**Doumeki Kai...why do you continue to support man...? They are not as strong as the Gods.... They cannot bring peace through strength or encouragement.... And yet you still refuse to believe how weak they are to those who have created them...my little brother weeding out the strong by destroying the weak...and Doumeki Kai continuing what God can only consider a futile attempt at prolonging man's suffering rather than make it better....**"

"**There! Down here!**" shouts a voice. The elderly shadow stops upon seeing several angels surround him with angered and frustrated looks on their faces. Among them is the wolf and cat spirit.

"**So it is true,**" one of the angels exclaim, "**You have brought the Heartbreaker back from the depths of hell!**"

"**No thanks to you, he's crushed limbo, the pathway to the gates of heaven and hell, and released all the ghosts we worked hard to rally up! Half of them more dangerous than you can imagine!**"

The shadow shakes in distress as he tries to back away from the angels only to see more of them appear behind him, equally angered by his recent antics.

"**Now is not the time to point fingers at the culprit,**" said a voice. Everyone turned to the sky to see a larger angel flutter down towards them. She is a ghostly blue, wearing a long sleeve tunic as her hair waves from an unseen gust of wind. She stares at the elderly shadow, seeing his shaking increase to the point of spazzing out at the sight of her.

"**She's right,**" the wolf calls out, "**We'll deal with the dumb old fool later! We gotta find the Heartbreaker and capture him before he wakes up! According to Horton, he's taken control of someone who looks exactly like him! With Hebi's Eye exposed, he can easily absorb all the ghosts that escaped from limbo and use their strength and power to grow stronger! If he manages to absorb all of them he'll have enough spiritual power to shatter the world with a single slap of his hand!**"

The angels murmur and look to each other in worry before the leader ushers them to quiet down.

"**Come now, everyone,**" she said, "**We must focus on repairing everything the Heartbreaker destroyed.**" She looks over to the wolf and cat, "**Ookami. You and Mata find and keep an eye on the Heartbreaker. If he wakes up, do everything you can to stop him before he makes his way outside. A ghost that has been resurrected by the Eye of Hebi is bound to be too disoriented and enraged to think of nothing but what they crave most.**"

"**In this case, what the Heartbreaker wants is to bring peace through control and order,**" Ookami growls, "**And after witnessing the power he has after being brought back from the dead, it's vital that we crush him before he gains enough power to shroud this world in darkness!**"

"**Come, everyone,**" the lead angel ushers, "**We must get to work before it is too late.**"

Everyone disperses, leaving the elderly shadow to stand alone in fear and distraught.

"**Now the Gods are turning against me....**" he mutters, staring at the sky, "**And all because I care too much about my little brother to choose him rather than go to them to help me in my quest for peace....**"

He clutches his fists in more frustration, "**No...even if they know better than me, I cannot allow them to harm my brother after all the trouble I went through bringing him back from the bowels of hell.... I must protect him and show the Gods that he has as much of a right to help pave the way for peace as I do....**"

He looks towards the horizon of the deserted city, "**He is close...I can feel him....**"he begins drifting down the street,"**I will save him and bring him home with me...so that we may live the rest of our lives guiding man down the road to our future of peace....**"

* * *

Kai stands at the bottom of the lawn, looking between the house in front of him and the piece of paper drenched in alcohol, confirming he was at the right address. Despite the harsh storm blowing around him, he doesn't wear much protection aside from the black boots he once wore during his earlier years.

Stuffing the paper in his pocket, he walks up to the door and bangs on it rather harshly until it flew open, revealing a very drunk and agitated Techno, who isn't at all astounded by his appearance.

"Whatever it is you're sellin', I don't want it!" he exclaims threateningly before slamming the door. Kai frowns in offense before rapping on the door again until Techno threw it back open, "Are you deaf!? I said-!"

"I am not here to sell anything," he said harshly, yet calm at the same time, "I am a friend of your family."

"You ain't no friend of my family!" Techno exclaims, getting into Kai's face and making him just as agitated, "You're just another harasser tryin' to make my life more miserable!"

"Yo, Unc'!" Spin calls out, running over to his plastered uncle and pushing him away from Kai, "It's cool, man! I invited him down here!" Techno just glares at him before shoving past him and storming off into another room, most likely to guzzle down another can of beer.

Spin sighs and scratches the back of his head in annoyance before turning to Kai, "Sorry 'bout that, K-san. He always does that to anyone that comes to the door."

"So I have noticed." Kai said, still sounding stern. Spin remains silent a minute before pointing to the hallway behind him.

"Well, let me show you the guest room, K-san," he said as he leads Kai towards the hallway.


End file.
